The Ex Factor
by Ava Sinclair
Summary: Baby Sarah's death has always haunted Ethan, Gwen, and Theresa...and when a mysterious phone call forces a reluctant Gwen and Theresa to team up to find out the truth behind her fate, they must learn to work together...or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fan fiction story ever. It is based on the NBC soap opera Passions and I do not own the soap or the characters. This story is already completed as I began writing it a few months ago, and has been previously posted on fan sites by myself under the username Avalonia.

_In The Ex Factor, Gwen receives a mysterious phone call leading her to believe that Sarah may still be alive. Reluctantly, she and Theresa team up on a dangerous journey to find Sarah. Cat fights and back stabbing ensue, but in the end, if Theresa and Gwen can't work together they may both end up dead.  
Ethan and Jared are hot on their heels, but help may come too late. Will Ethan spend the rest of his life in regrets?_

Chapter One:

Gwen balanced Jane on her hips as she stacked jars of baby food in the cupboard. "Ba." Jane said as she reached for a jar. Gwen chuckled as she stroked Jane's cheek. "Are you getting hungry, sweetheart?" Turning, she put Jane in the highchair, snapping the tray firmly back into place. "Ok, one apple pear delight, coming up."

Gwen smiled at herself as she walked back to the cupboard. She loved days like this, lazy Saturdays where she didn't have any place to be, days where she could just relax and spend time with her beautiful daughter. It would have been perfect if Ethan could have been there too, but he was going over yet more documents on the Stuart Allen case. She knew she shouldn't feel so disappointed, considering how much she'd wanted him to take the case, but lately she'd been second guessing that impulse.

The sound of the phone ringing broke into her thoughts. "Hmm...I hope it's not Sheridan cancelling our lunch tomorrow. We haven't had a chance to catch up in so long." Gwen thought to herself as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

There was only silence on the end for a moment.

"Hello?" Gwen felt irritation rise within her. A crank caller..how stupid. Just as she was about to hang up a crackling, inhuman voice suddenly had the hair on her arms standing straight up.  
"Do you know where your daughter is?" The voice whispered.

"What?" Gwen nearly dropped the phone as a ridiculous wave of panic seized her. Of course she knew where Jane was-she was looking right at her.

"Listen, you creep, I know perfectly well where my daughter is so just-"

"Not Jane. Sarah. Do you know where Sarah is?"

Gwen gasped as pain and shock washed over her. Her knees suddenly gave way and she had to grab the counter to keep from falling.

"Who is this?" she demanded, her voice raspy and weak despite her best efforts.

"Come. Come find out. Come find Sarah." There was a mocking laugh and then a click.

Gwen held the receiver in her hand, staring blindly at the wall. She didn't know how long she stood there before a soft cry from Jane broke into her thoughts. She grabbed the first thing she saw, a small box of raisins, and handed it to the toddler to keep her busy. Then she collapsed into a dining table chair, heart pounding as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Who would do this?" She thought to herself. "Who would play such a cruel mind game with me?" A bitter laugh broke from her lips as the answer jumped so quickly into her mind. Of course. Theresa. That b-

Standing up purposefully, Gwen grabbed Jane's diaper bag and her purse from the counter, then lifted the toddler out of the chair.

"I don't know what you're up to, Theresa, but I'm going to make dn sure it ends now. You are going to be sorry for even daring to say my daughter's name."


	2. Chapter 2

Theresa smiled with satisfaction as she finished her final e-mail. Finally! It was Saturday and she had much better things to do then take care of Crane business. Much better things...she smiled as she thought of Jared. He had promised her a picnic in the park, just the two of them, and she was looking forward to it. Just an lazy afternoon without the pressures of being Mrs. Alistair Crane on her shoulders...

A bleep caught her attention and Theresa sighed in annoyance. Another e-mail had just been sent to her. Just great. Sighing, she clicked on her inbox and then her eyes widened as she saw who the sender was. Ethan.

"Theresa,  
We need to talk about the other night. Meet me at my office ASAP. We won't be disturbed.  
Ethan"

Theresa glared at the computer screen, trying to ignore the fact that her heart had just leapt at the mere sight of his name. "What, does he think he can just snap his fingers and I'll come running? Who does he think he is? I'll tell him where he can stick it..." she fumed to herself as she began to type. She'd tell him she was done with his games, done with second best, done with chasing him...

A minute later Theresa hit the delete button and sat back with a sigh. It was no good. Her brain wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him she knew he just wanted yet another excuse for them to have an illicit tryst. But her heart, it cried out to say yes, beyond all reason, and her body-well, it was the ultimate traitor.  
"Come on, Theresa, be strong." She whispered to herself. "You're tougher than this, you're not meant to be used. I am woman, hear me roar. GRRR!"

"Uh, Mom?"

Theresa whipped around to see her son, EJ, behind her, looking at her in confusion. "Why are you growling at your computer screen?"

"Self empowerment is overrated." Theresa muttered to herself. Then looking back up at EJ she grinned. "No reason, honey. Do you have your overnight bag packed?" Lil Ethan was spending the night at his friend Mark's house.

Before EJ could answer there was a sudden pounding at the door.

"Oh, that must be Jared!" Theresa exclaimed, jumping up. The pounding intensified as she headed towards the door.

"Boy, you're impatient!" Theresa said in a cheery voice as she swung open the door and then her smile faded as she came face to face with an angry Gwen.

"Gwen? What the hell are you doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3

(This story takes place a few days after Theresa and Ethan made love in Chris's office).

Theresa stared in total bewilderment as Gwen glared at her, face reddened and her eyes furious as she balanced Jane on her hip.

"What the hell.." she started to repeat and then her heart nearly stopped. 'Oh my God, she knows. She knows Ethan and I made love!' Joy warred with terror within her. In a way, she wanted Gwen to know, wanted her to finally see that Ethan would never give her up, never. But stronger was her fear that this would change nothing, except that Jared would hate her and her last chance for happiness would melt like snow in the sun.

"Look Gwen, I can explain-"

Gwen cut her off as she shoved Theresa aside, walking through the door. "I don't think that's really possible, Theresa. You are so low. You are vile! First you kill my beautiful baby, and then you make a mockery of her memory by playing this sick game!"

"What?" Theresa's jaw dropped. "Have you completely lost what's left of your mind, Gwen? I don't know what you're talking about!"

Gwen was shaking all over, she was so angry. "I know it was you, Theresa! Calling me, disguising your voice, telling me to come find Sarah! How can you be this cruel?" Her voice broke as she stared at her tormentor.

Astonishment sagged Theresa's features. "Someone called you-about Sarah? Someone said she's alive?" She sat down heavily on the couch, her anger at Gwen's accusation washed away by total confusion. "How can that be?"

"Oh stop!" Gwen's voice was nearly a shriek now. "You..oh, I can't think of anything bad enough to call you!" She wanted to choke the life out of Theresa for once and for all, wanted to stop that nasty little biatch from messing with her and her family ever again...

As she took a step towards Theresa a soft sound caught Gwen's attention. Looking up, she saw EJ frozen in a corner, staring at them both. It was like an ice cold pail of water had been dumped over Gwen's head, washing away the red mist in front of her eyes. He looked frightened...of her. Gwen felt tears press against her eyelids. "I've scared him, thanks to Theresa. My God, how I hate her. The things she has pushed me to do..she's taken away the person I wanted to be." Still, she would not let Theresa drag her down again. She wasnt' going to get into another cat fight with her, but she wasn't about to let her get away with it either. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"You know what? I don't even care why you did it, but I know you did, so you might as well give up whatever sick game you're playing. It's not going-wait a minute. I know what this is about." Gwen glared at Theresa, who stared back at her with wide eyes. "You think you can send me on some wild goose chase looking for Sarah, and while I'm distracted you'll just take Ethan and Jane from me. Well, it's not going to work. My daughter is dead. I held her body, and I buried her, because of you! And I'm not falling for your games, not ever again."

Theresa stood up, as furious as Gwen now. "I did not kill Sarah and deep down, you know it, Gwen! If you search inside yourself, you'll see the truth about what happened to your daughter and you'll see the face of guilt, looking straight back at you in the mirror!"

"Oh you..." Gwen started for Theresa at the same time the other woman started for her. They would have met in another second, would have made a mockery of themselves as they ripped each others hair out, if Pilar hadn't taken that moment to step through the front door.

"Gwen! Theresa! What the hell are you doing?" Pilar stepped into between them and reached for Jane. "And in front of the children! For shame! Are you both thirteen that you can't control yourselves?" She gave them both a scathing look. "No man is worth this! Nothing is! I don't know how the two of you look at yourselves in the morning." Pilar beckoned EJ to her. "EJ, take Jane into your room for a minute, please, while I talk to these two."

After the children left, Pilar turned back to them, hands on her hips. "Now, I want to know what this ridiculousness is all about. And I swear, if the name Ethan is mentioned even once, I will have to smack some sense into both of you!"

TBC  
In the next segment, Theresa and Gwen both realize that their children may be in danger, and Luis is summoned to track down the mystery caller.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Ex Factor: Chapter Four**

Gwen and Theresa both started to talk at once.

"That crazy bitch.." Theresa began.

"No, you're the crazy one, you cold hearted-" Gwen yelled back.

"OK!" Pilar threw her hands up. "I'd rather hit myself in the head with a hammer then listen to this one more time! Can one of you manage to speak rationally, for once?"

They were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Jared, who walked in the room dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, carrying a picnic basket. "Tess, you shouldn't leave the door open like-" He broke off as he saw Theresa, Gwen, and Pilar standing in front of him with grim expressions on their faces. "Gwen? What's going on here?"

"Her!" Gwen pointed a shaking finger in Theresa's direction. "She called me today. She asked me where my daughter was. I told her I knew that, and she said, 'Not Jane, Sarah.' She's playing some sick game with me and I won't stand for it!" She lunged in Theresa's direction but Pilar and Jared were faster, grabbing her arms and pulling her back.

Jared looked at Theresa in shock. "Tess, what is going on here?"

Theresa shook her head. "I don't know! I never called her-I've been here all morning, working at my computer."

Pilar looked at Gwen. "How do you know it was Theresa?" she questioned but suddenly Theresa leapt forward and grabbed Gwen by the arms. "Gwen!" her voice was frantic. "The caller mentioned Jane...by name?" She gave Gwen a slight shake. "Did the caller know Jane's name?"

"Y-yes." Gwen stuttered slightly as sudden terror hit her. "Oh my God." She looked at Theresa. "It really wasn't you?" Her voice was a near whisper and her heart sank as Theresa shook her head. When she'd believed it was Theresa, she'd been angry, but now suddenly she was more scared then she'd ever been in her life.

Theresa let Gwen go and began pacing the room. "Oh my God! Don't you realize what this means? Some maniac could be targeting my daughter!"

"MY daughter." Gwen hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh shut up!" Gwen looked shocked as Pilar snapped at her. "Both of you need to concentrate on Jane's safety, not fighting like children."

"And don't forget, the caller mentioned Sarah." Jared reminded Theresa as he put a comforting arm around her. "So whoever it is, they are definitely targeting Gwen. But Jane and EJ...they could be in danger too."

"We've got to do something! We've got to to call the police!" Theresa pulled away from Jared. "Wait..Luis! We'll call him! He can pull Gwen's phone records and find out who's behind this." She picked up the phone.

"Yes, call Luis." Gwen nodded as her heart hammered in her chest. "And I've got to call Ethan." She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed, walking to a quiet corner of the room.

TBC

In the next segment, Ethan is summoned to Theresa's house, but it's not for the reason he thinks.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Ex Factor: Chapter Five**

Ethan looked at the clock once again, and resumed pacing his office.

"Where are you, Theresa?"

It had been nearly 45 minutes since he'd sent her the e-mail. He had been positive she would have been here by now. Maybe she was planning something. Maybe she was going to show up in that ridiculous rain coat again-with nothing on underneath. Not that he'd fall for that one again-

Ethan laughed to himself and shook his head. Who was he kidding? He'd love it if she did that. He'd like it even more if she didn't even bother with the raincoat this time around. He sighed as he looked at a picture of himself, Gwen, and Jane on his desk.

"I'm so sorry, Gwen. Sorry I'm so weak. I just-I've always loved her. I don't know how to stop." He ignored the tiny voice in the back of his mind that told him he didn't want to stop, either.

The ringing phone broke into his thoughts. "Theresa!" Ethan leapt for the phone. "Hello, T-Gwen!"

"Ethan, I need you." Gwen's voice was shaking. "I need you to come here, right away."

"What? Are you at home? What's wrong?" Ethan's anxiety rose. Gwen sounded so upset.

"No, no. I'm not at home. I'm actually at Theresa's, believe it or not. Ethan, we need to talk. Get here as fast as you can." Gwen disconnected the phone.

"My God." Ethan thought, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "She knows. She knows about me and Theresa."

TBC  
In the next segment-Ethan thinks the game is over between him and the two women he's been stuck between for years. Will he blurt out the truth to an unsuspecting Gwen?


	6. Chapter 6

**The Ex Factor: Chapter Six**

Ethan walked slowly up the front walk of Theresa's-no, it was Pilar's home, but since Theresa hated living at the Crane mansion she spent most of her time there. He hesitated before knocking. Gwen knew. She must know. Why else would she be at Theresa's? What was he supposed to say to her? Lie once again, promise it wouldn't happen again when he knew it would? Tell her that he didn't love Theresa when they both knew he did? The words tasted like ashes in his mouth. He couldn't do this anymore. He had to be honest with her, and let the chips fall where they may.

The door was suddenly opened. Pilar gave him an impatient look. "Are you going to stand on the porch talking to yourself all night? We've all been waiting for you!" She gestured at him, giving him a look that told him she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Ethan took a deep breath as he headed into the living room. Gwen and Theresa both stood up, looking pale as he entered. Jared remained seated, giving him a cold look.

Feeling a twinge of irritation that Jared was even there, Ethan spoke. "Gwen, Theresa...I think it's time for us to have a -"

"Ethan!" Gwen flung herself into his arms. Automatically his arms tightened around her, although he didn't miss the flash of hurt in Theresa's eyes. "Gwen, I'm sorry-I don't know what to say. I should have been-" He stopped in surprise as behind Gwen, Theresa frantically shook her head at him. "What?" He mouthed back at her.

"Gwen doesn't know!" she mouthed back, as Pilar looked from Theresa back to Ethan, shaking her head and looking deeply disappointed in them both. Jared missed the whole thing-he was too busy giving Ethan a hard stare.

"Uh.." Ethan hesitated and Gwen pulled back to look at his face.

"Why are you saying you're sorry? Did someone tell you what happened? It's not your fault, Ethan, that someone's playing games with us." Gwen twisted her hands together nervously.

Ethan just stood, looking like he didn't have a clue, and hating it, knowing it was a familiar look for him as of late. "Actually, I'd like to hear the story from the beginning, just so I make sure I have all the details right." He finally managed.

Theresa rolled her eyes. "Nice save." she murmured under her breath, unable to suppress a chuckle. Ethan had to be the worst liar she'd ever met. Sometimes she didn't know how he made it through law school.

Pilar stood up. "While you're talking this out, I'm going to take Lil Ethan to his friend's. Is it alright if I leave Jane with you three, or will I come back to find her pulled between you like a wishbone?"

Gwen sighed. "Of course not, Pilar. She'll be fine with us." She was surprised by the aggressiveness in which Pilar had been speaking to her and Theresa today, but she also had to admit she wasn't so proud of her own behavior. Turning back to her husband, she squeezed his hand tightly as she tearfully detailed the ominous phone called she'd received earlier. "I can't believe it." She finished. "Sarah is dead. Who would do this? Why can't they let her rest in peace?" She put her head on Ethan's shoulder as she cried. Just when she thought the pain was easing a little, this happened. Would it never end-would her family be forever under siege?

Across the room, Theresa watched Gwen cry. Carefully, she kept her face emotionless as she'd trained herself to do throughout the years, but deep down, her mother's heart ached. She hated Gwen-always had, always would, especially considering what Gwen had done to her throughout the years. But she'd never wanted Sarah to die, despite what Gwen thought and she couldn't help but feel bad about it. Although the unfairness of Gwen's constant accusations about Theresa causing Sarah's death grated on her, she couldn't help but feel that things could have been so different if she hadn't gone to L.A. that summer. "But I didn't know." she whispered to herself. "That's what Gwen doesn't understand...I didn't know they were in L.A. I didn't know what would happen. I never wanted this."

Another knock sounded on the door. Theresa jumped up, grateful for the chance to leave her memories behind. "I'll get it!" She opened the door to find Luis and Fancy standing there. Luis held several papers in his hands. "Luis, that was fast!" She eyed her brother worriedly.

"Well, I called in a few favors and dropped your name like crazy." Luis grinned at her. Behind him Fancy coughed. "Um..actually..."

Luis sighed. "OK, OK, it was Fancy's idea to name drop shamelessly. She gets the credit for this one."

They walked inside, Theresa on their heels. Gwen and Ethan got to their feet immediately.

"Luis?" Gwen's voice was high pitched and shaky. "Did you find out who the caller is?"

Ethan put a protective arm around his wife. "Yes, Luis, don't keep us in suspense. Who was it?"

Luis and Fancy gave each other cautious glances. "Look, you guys, I'm sorry but we weren't to pinpoint a specific caller or phone number. We can tell you one thing, though." Luis ran his hand through his dark hair. "The call came from Prague."

"Prague?!?"

TBC

_This story will updated daily with a minimum of three chapters until the full story is uploaded. If you're enjoying it so far or have any feedback/critique at all, please give me a review-it's much appreciated!_


	7. Chapter 7

"Prague?!" It seemed like everyone spoke at once.

Gwen stared at Luis. "Are you sure? I don't know anyone in Prague! Why...what..." She couldn't even form a thought.

"I don't know anyone in Prague either. What the hell is going on here, Luis?" Ethan's voice was frustrated as he stared at the man who'd nearly been his brother in law.

"Well, I think there's a pretty logical explanation, actually." Luis looked at the people assembled in front of him. "Ethan, even though you are no longer a Crane, you and Gwen have been in the public eye for years. Sarah's death was in the papers, as well as the whole scandal over Jane. What you have here is an overseas wacko just trying to cause some problems. That's all it was, a crank call. I'd suggest changing your phone number, but aside from that, don't make more of it than it is."

Fancy nodded in agreement. "Luis is right. You guys have gotten weirdos before, and it's unfortunate, but this probably won't be the last time."

Ethan nodded slowly. "It makes sense." He squeezed Gwen's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry this happened, sweetheart, but Luis and Fancy are right. It was just some sicko trying to get his kicks. We'll add some automatic tracing to our line just in case they get our new number, OK?"

Gwen nodded slowly. Her shoulders sagged as relief, anger, and sadness pulled at her. Just the fact that someone would use her daughter's death in such a callous way was unbelievable. "Right. I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just..Sarah.." she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Wait a second." Theresa stepped forward, looking perplexed. "So all of you are just going to shrug this off? You don't think there's possibly more to it?"

Gwen glared at her angrily, glad to once again have a target for her pent up emotions. "What else could it be, Theresa?" she asked angrily.

"Don't get mad at me, Gwen." Theresa snapped back. "I swear, you're just disappointed that you can't blame me for this like you blame me for everything else."

"Theresa..." Ethan had a warning tone in his voice.

"Shut up, Ethan!" Theresa snapped. His shocked expression gave her a glimmer of satisfaction. She was so tired of him talking down to her like a three year old who needed to be disciplined. "Like it or not, Jane is my daughter, as much as you two try to deny it, and her name was brought up. That makes me part of this and I'm not just going to sweep it under the rug. Something stinks here, and for once it's not just her." She pointed at Gwen.

Gwen shook her head angrily. "I'm not going to stand around and listen to this. Ethan, let's go."

Theresa raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Fine, Gwen, go. I just thought that Sarah meant more to you than that."

Gwen whirled around, fire in her eyes. "You're just asking for it, aren't you, Theresa? I swear if my daughter's name comes out of your mouth one more time I will rip your tongue out!"

Pilar, Luis, and Fancy all shot Theresa warning glances. "That's enough, mija" Pilar's voice was gentle but warning.

Jared took Theresa's hand in his as Ethan pulled his angry wife towards the door. "Tess, I really don't know what you're trying to get at here. Let them go." His quiet tone was meant to be soothing but Theresa was not about to be silenced.

"What this is about..." Theresa raised her voice so Gwen and Ethan had no choice but to listen. ..Is that I'm not entirely convinced that there wasn't something suspicious about Sarah's death."

Gwen gasped as rage and shock began to consume her. "How dare you!" Her voice was verging on the hysterical.

Theresa held up a warning hand. "Hear me out, Gwen. I just want to know if you and Ethan are truly sure that you know what happened to your daughter. In fact, I'm wondering..." she hesitated, wondering if this was something even she dared to say out loud. "I'm wondering if Sarah is even dead."


	8. Chapter 8

The Ex Factor #8

For a moment the room was completely silent. Then suddenly everyone seemed to be speaking at once.

"Theresa, you can't possibly believe-"

"Are you completely heartless?"

"Teresita, what are you saying?!"

Gwen was the only one who was silent. Theresa ignored the comments, looking pointedly at her rival while she waited for a response.

Slowly, a cold smile appeared on Gwen's lips. It didn't hide the pain in her eyes.

"I knew it." She said quietly. "I knew this was one of your plans to get me away from Ethan. I was right the first time, wasn't I? You probably had some Crane underling in Europe place the call. That's lower than you've ever sunk before, Theresa, but I'm not surprised. At all. My daughter is dead and I swear to God, if you try to defile her memory again, I'll kill you." Both she and Ethan glared coldly at Theresa.

Theresa did her best to shrug off the hurt she felt at Ethan's reaction. Of course he believed the worst of her-what else was new? Ignoring him, she kept her eyes fixed on Gwen.

"That's not true, Gwen. Just another one of your crazy delusions. I could help you, you know. You and Ethan could have all the resources at Crane Industries at your fingertips. I have a personal stake in this too, remember? For years, you have blamed me for her death. But maybe she's still alive!" Theresa crossed her arms. "That's fine, though, Gwen. Walk away. You want to know what I think?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm sure that won't shut you up."

Theresa's mouth thinned into a cold line. "I don't think you want Sarah to be alive. I think that you would rather Sarah be dead so you can keep blaming me for it." She gave Gwen a smug look.

"That's it!" Gwen exploded towards Theresa like a bomb. It took Ethan, Luis, Fancy, and Jared all their strength to keep the enraged woman from beating Theresa like a drum.

"Ethan, take your wife out of here!" Pilar handed him Jane and the diaper bag. "Go now, before this gets any worse."

Ethan hustled a struggling Gwen towards the door. "Let me go, Ethan. Let me deal with her, please! She has hurt our family too many times!"

Theresa, restrained by Jared, yelled out her own insults as Ethan finally managed to push Gwen through the doorway. "OK, she's gone. Let go, alright?" She sat down on the couch, noting the disapproving stares from Luis, Fancy, and Pilar.

"That was cruel, Theresa." Pilar looked at her daughter with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I had nothing to do with that phone call! Luis, you believe me, don't you?"

Luis gave his sister a long look then finally nodded. "I believe you, Theresa. But you didn't have to-you know what? Never mind. You and Gwen love your little war too much to ever give it up." He gave her an irritated look and turned towards the door.

Theresa looked pleadingly at Fancy. "Look, Fancy, all I'm saying is it warrants looking into. You guys can do that much, can't you? And if it comes to nothing, fine by me. It's just...it's too weird. If there are two things I don't believe in, it's Santa Claus and coincidences in Harmony. There's no such thing. Something is up-I feel it."

Fancy looked at Luis. "She has a point, Luis. Maybe this could use a little investigation." She gave him a hopeful look. 'And with any luck, you'll decide I'm just the partner you need to help you.' She thought to herself.

Luis groaned. "Not you too, Fancy. It's a crank call! Why do women always have to make such a big deal over everything?"

Fancy's eyes narrowed. "I guess we can discuss that little remark back at the station. Let's go." She headed towards the door, shooting Theresa a quick wink before she strode through it. Luis rolled his eyes and followed.

Pilar watched them go, and then turned to Jared. "Jared, I hate to be rude, but I really need to speak to my daughter. Maybe you can come back later?"

"But Mama..." Theresa protested, smoothing down her skirt. "Jared and I had plans. Can't it wait?"

Pilar turned to Theresa, giving her a steely look. "I've already waited too long to say what I need to."

Theresa frowned and began to stand up. "Mama, I'm not a teenager anymore and you can't tell me-"

"SIT DOWN, THERESA!"

Stunned, Theresa sank back down on the couch cushions. Her mother hadn't spoken to her in that tone since...well, too many times to count over the past few years, actually.

Jared shrugged his shoulders. "Um yeah...Tess, I'm going to go. I'll call you, OK? Maybe we can have dinner tonight instead and we'll do the picnic another time." He bent down and gave her a quick kiss.

After he left, Pilar turned to Theresa. "We need to talk, Teresita, and I don't think you're going to like what I have to say to you."


	9. Chapter 9

The Ex Factor #9

Theresa gave her mother a patronizing look. "Well, let's hear it, Mama. Let's hear you defend Gwen above your own daughter." She stared at Pilar with hurt eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Theresa! I would never defend Gwen above you! I know what she is capable of and I know how she has hurt you over the years. How can you say such a thing to me?"

"Then what is it, Mama?" Theresa stood up and began pacing back and forth. "Why are you acting so upset?"

"I'm disappointed, Theresa, in you. Again. I don't believe you're behind the phone call that Gwen received but the things you said to her, about poor Sarah. Why could you not hold your tongue?"

Theresa blew out an exasperated sigh. "She started it." She snapped.

"She started it?" Pilar threw her hands in the air. "Theresa, are you five?" She stared at her daughter in astonishment. Theresa looked back at her, and Pilar sighed as she realized there was absolutely no comprehension of what she was trying to say in Theresa's eyes.

"Come here." She took Theresa firmly by the arm.

"Ow! Mama, what are you..." Theresa had no choice but to go where her mother led, which was across the living room to face a decorative mirror on the wall.  
"Look at yourself, Theresa. Look at what you've become. Are you proud of what you see?"

Theresa barely glanced at her own reflection. She tried to turn away but Pilar's fingers hardened into steel and held her fast. "Mama, everything I've done I've done out of love."

"Out of love?" Pilar shook her daughter lightly. "Love? Is that what you call it? When you've gone from being a sweet, good hearted young lady to a vicious, manipulative viper who wants to win at any cost? If you think that's what love does to you, then I've raised you so wrong. May God forgive me."

Theresa's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you saying this to me, Mama? Why are you trying to hurt me?"

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Theresa. I want you to see, really see how far you've fallen. You've become so cold, so cruel. You've schemed shamelessly to get Ethan, for years. You tried to trade one child for another as if children are interchangeable. You bartered your body and your soul with that old devil himself, Alistair Crane. And every chance you get, you use that vicious tongue of yours to slash at Gwen, with no shame."

"But Gwen-" Theresa began to protest again.

"I don't care about Gwen!" Pilar exploded. "You don't need to run over the list of every inexcusable thing that woman has done to you. I know it all-I was there! You can't control what she does, nor can you control what Ethan does. What you can control is your own actions. You can decide to act with dignity and self respect. You can decide to hold your head up and never lower yourself to behave as shamelessly as those who act against you. You can set a shining example for your children to follow. Or you can continue as you are, thinking only of yourself and your feelings. And one day, before you know it, you'll be as desperate, bitter, dried up and degenerate as Rebecca Hotchkiss herself. And I'll pity you, Theresa." Pilar reached out and gently turned Theresa's head until her daughter was looking at herself in the mirror. "Please, mija...make this woman you see in front of you someone to be proud of. Change your ways, now, before it is too late."

Tears were trickling down Theresa's face now and her throat was closed too tightly to speak as she watched Pilar leave the room.

TBC

Coming Soon

Ethan struggles to let go of Theresa

The mystery of Sarah's death deepens.


	10. Chapter 10

_**The Ex Factor**_

Ethan paused before the bedroom door, looking back at Gwen on the bed. It had taken hours to get her to sleep, but finally he'd convinced her to take a pill to help her. Now for the first time in hours, she finally looked peaceful. Quietly, he slipped into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

'I can't believe what a crazy day this has been.' He thought to himself as he walked down the hall to his study. 'I can't believe some sicko used the memory of our dead daughter to hurt Gwen. I can't believe that person might be Theresa.'

Shaking his head, he sat down at his desk. He had to get Theresa out of his mind. Besides, he had work to do. He looked at the stacks of case files on his desk. One for the Stuart Allen case, one for Julian's custody suit. 'Good thinking, Ethan.' He grumbled to himself. 'Way to get her off your mind, when even your work is all about her.' Theresa was right-he'd taken the cases out of revenge. When did being an ethical lawyer matter less to him then keeping Theresa close-and punishing her for not putting him first?

Ethan stood up, all thoughts of work evaporating as he began to pace his office. 'I hate what this is doing to Gwen, to Theresa, to me. All of us used to have ethics, all of us were good people. Now look at us. I used to blame Theresa for everything but it was me, too. And deep down, I never wanted her to stop manipulating me. I loved knowing the lengths she'd go to just to keep me. Now I don't have that safety net anymore, and I hate it.'

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. 'We've got to talk this out. Once and for all, I will end things with Theresa. Tonight.' He began to dial, knowing that he was lying to himself again, and not caring. He just wanted to see her, to smell her...then he wanted to feel her. Then he wanted...

The phone was ringing.

"Hello?" It was Theresa's voice, but subdued. She sounded upset.

"Theresa, it's Ethan. You never came to my office today, and we still need to have that talk, even more so now. I want to know who was behind that phone call."

"And you think I know." Theresa's voice was flat. "Ethan, listen to yourself. You think that I was involved in that phone call about Sarah. You think I would sink low enough to use your dead child as a way to get to you." She sighed heavily, and Ethan could hear the beginnings of tears in her voice. His heart constricted-how he hated causing her pain, but he didn't seem to be able to stop himself.

"Theresa, just meet me somewhere, OK? How about at the office?"

There was a pause for a moment. "I can't, Ethan."

"It's just to talk, Theresa."

"You know what, Ethan? I'm not stupid. I can't really blame you for thinking I am, considering the way I've let you take advantage of me. But maybe I really am growing up, Ethan. Maybe I value myself more than letting someone who doesn't even trust me, who thinks I do horrible things, manipulate me into bed."

"That's not what-" Ethan began to protest.

"No, Ethan! The candy store is closed, OK? No more! If you really wanted me, you would have divorced Gwen by now. And if you ever really loved me, you'd believe in me, and not believe every awful thing Gwen accuses me of. It's not worth it any more. YOU'RE not worth it. Goodbye, Ethan."

CLICK.

Ethan stood frozen in place, staring dumbly at the receiver in his hand. "No, she did not just hang up on me." He mumbled to himself, stunned. Sure, he'd heard it from her before, but after the other night, in Chris's office, he was sure that Theresa would never turn him down again.

'Wrong.' A voice in his head taunted him. 'You've finally pushed her away. Good going, dumb ass.'

Ethan groaned aloud. It was over and settled. Theresa had decided for him. He should be happy. He should go upstairs right now, get in bed next to his wife, and put all this behind him.

But he couldn't. There was no way that he could let Theresa go.

So now what the hell was he going to do?

_**Gwen**_

"Sarah..." the whisper escaped Gwen's lips as she tossed restlessly on her pillow. Behind her closed eyelids visions came at her, one on top of another. Ethan caressing her swollen belly as they made plans for their baby's nursery, the constant beep of the hospital equipment during her stay, the fight with Theresa, the agonizing pain ripping through her, nearly splitting her in two as she struggled to bring her child into the world...the nightmare of waking up, reaching for her baby, looking in her bassinet, only to find...

'No, God, please no...not my baby! Sarah, please come back to me!' Tears streamed down Gwen's cheeks, wetting the pillow beneath her. Yet still she couldn't wake up, still she was caught in the nightmare's grip.

"I don't think you want Sarah to be alive. I think that you would rather Sarah be dead so you can keep blaming me for it." Theresa's mocking words echoed over and over in Gwen's head until finally a heartrending scream ripped from her throat.

"Noooo!" Gwen sat straight up in bed, the sweat soaking her nightgown. For a moment she stared bewildered at the sunlight streaming through the window, casting a cheery glow onto her room. The memories she'd been lost in all night still had her shaking.

Suddenly the door to her bedroom opened abruptly. "Gwen, are you alright?" An anxious voice spoke.

Gwen stared in surprise. Pilar stood at the foot of the bed, looking anxiously at her as she balanced a gurgling Jane on her hip.

"Pilar? What are you doing here? Where's Ethan?"

"I stopped by to see Jane...and to speak to you. Ethan had some work he needed to do at his office so I offered to watch her until you woke up."

"I see." Gwen felt a twinge of irritation. Ethan should have been the one at her side when she woke up. She needed him right now, but of course he had something more important to do. For a moment the urge to tell Pilar to get the hell out of her house overcame her, but she shook it off. Pilar had done nothing to her-it was Ethan she was angry at. And Theresa-would she never stop being angry at her?

"Just let me get dressed, and then we can talk." Gwen climbed out of bed.

"Of course." Pilar carried Jane out of the room.

Gwen dressed quickly and headed towards the kitchen. As she approached, a delicious smell filled the room. She walked into the kitchen to find Jane contentedly eating breakfast in her highchair as Pilar cooked at the stove.

Pilar turned as she heard Gwen approach. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, but you don't look well. You need to eat." 'And it's not like Rebecca's going to come over and take care of you the way a mother should.' Pilar thought to herself as she eyed Gwen's pale complexion. 'I can forgive you for all you've done. I can almost even understand why you've done them, considering the horrible example that woman's set for you.'

"Thank you, Pilar." Gwen took the plate the older woman offered her, unable to disguise the surprise in her voice. Why should Pilar be so kind to her after all that's happened?

Pilar poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Gwen at the table. "I was hoping.." she hesitated for a moment, then plunged in. "I was hoping that I could take Jane this morning-just for a few hours."

Gwen began to protest but Pilar gave her a pleading look. "Gwen...please don't be afraid that I'm trying to take her from you. I won't lie to you...I feel Jane belongs with Theresa. But you've-you've been a good mother to her, and Jane loves you. I know how much she means to you. I love her too though, and I miss her. So does Theresa. We just want to spend a little time with her and it will give you a chance to rest. I promise I will have her back by lunchtime."

Gwen stared down at her plate for a moment. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream no, but looking into Pilar's honest eyes and seeing the hope there...well, she was exhausted. And she trusted Pilar. She shouldn't, considering Pilar had brought that witch Theresa into the world, but she did. Slowly, Gwen nodded. "Alright. But she's back by noon. Please make sure Theresa understands that, or I will make sure she doesn't see Jane again."

"I will." Pilar smiled brightly. "I'll bring her back myself, and you won't have to see Theresa at all." Standing up, she walked over to the highchair and began to clean Jane up.

Gwen stood up as well, admitting to herself she did feel much better since she'd eaten. She just hated the knot of fear in her stomach that appeared whenever Theresa's name was mentioned. She knew she'd be biting her nails until Jane was back in her arms-thank God it was only a few hours.

"Gwen.." Pilar had Jane's jacket on the toddler and the diaper bag slung over her shoulder, ready to go. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Gwen exhaled shakily. "I...I don't know, Pilar. After yesterday...it just all came back. Just when I thought the pain was easing, it's like Sarah's death was yesterday."

Pilar hesitated before she spoke again. "Have you given any thought to what Theresa said? About.." She stopped at the look on Gwen's face. "Never mind. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, wait, Pilar." Gwen's voice stopped Pilar as she was walking out the door. "I have thought about it. Pilar, please look at me." She waited patiently until Pilar had turned and was looking directly into her eyes. "Did Theresa have anything to do with that phone call? If she did, for God's sakes please tell me and put me out of my misery. It's killing me!"

Pilar looked at Gwen directly. "Theresa swears to me that she didn't, and I believe her. I saw the look on her face yesterday, and she was as shocked as anyone."  
Gwen sank back down into the kitchen chair. "Then I have no choice. If Theresa didn't do it..." she shook her head. "I'm going to ask that the autopsy records be reviewed. Just in case..God, I hate doing this. I want my baby to rest in peace, but I have to know that this was just a sick prank and nothing more."

Pilar nodded. "I think that's best, Gwen. You'll have peace of mind, once you know." She began to walk out the door again, then stopped. "Gwen, I talked to Theresa yesterday and I know it's not my place, but there's something I need to say to you as well. I'm not proud of everything my daughter has done over the years to you. Her behavior has been inexcusable at times."

Gwen nodded. "I'm glad you see it that way, Pilar."

"I'm not finished." Pilar's voice turned stern. "I could say the same for you, Gwen. When Jane is old enough to understand, when she hears the whispers and the rumors about you all over town, what will you say to her? Will you really be able to speak with pride about all you have done? Deep down, I believe you are a good person. You've overcome your mother's terrible parenting admirably. But...Gwen, if you keep letting hatred eat at you, you're gong to look in the mirror someday and see a monster. Is that the example you want to set for your daughter? Is that the way you want to live your life, in bitterness, and plotting, and scheming? Don't you want to be happy?"

Gwen was too shocked to speak, and Pilar took advantage of that moment to carry her granddaughter out the door, shutting it quietly behind her, hurrying before Gwen could recover her bearings and change her mind.

"How dare she.." Gwen began to speak out loud, but she couldn't even finish the sentence. Pilar's words had pierced her heart. 'It's Theresa's fault..it is.' She whispered to herself as a tear slipped down her cheek. 'But Pilar is right. I don't even recognize myself sometimes. I never wanted to be this way.'

She sat there for a few minutes, taking deep breaths, until she felt calmer. Standing up, she reached for the phone. "Theresa is at the bottom of my priorities." She whispered to herself as she reached for the phone. "Right now, all I care about is clearing up what happened to Sarah, for once and for all."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Ex Factor**_

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and all three of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

Gwen, I don't like this." Ethan spoke into the receiver as he paced the floor of his office. "We've already gone through all of this years ago. Re-opening the autopsy file is just going to cause problems. Don't do it."

"It's a little late for that." Gwen snapped, feeling her temper rising. Why was he being so unsupportive?

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked suspiciously.

"I've already called the hospital and the coroner in L.A. and I've asked that the records be transferred to the Harmony Police Department. Luis is already arranging for someone at the hospital to look everything over." Gwen admitted.

"What? Gwen, how could you do that without consulting me?" Ethan's voice was angry.

"I thought you'd understand! We need to know for sure that the phone call I received was just a prank. I can't move on with my life until I know."

"Gwen, this is-"

"I don't want to hear it, Ethan. What's done is done. I just don't understand the way you're acting. You've been so distracted and distant lately."

Ethan sighed. It was true. He hadn't done a very good job lately of hiding how Theresa was affecting him. The only surprise was that Gwen hadn't said anything earlier.

"I'm sorry, Gwen, but you knew how much work this Stuart Allen case is. Theresa and Jared are putting up one hell of a fight and I've got my hands full."

Gwen mentally kicked herself. Why had she ever let him take that stupid case? Why had she practically insisted? She and Jane hardly saw Ethan now, and when they did he was tired and short tempered. Even at the office he seemed to be avoiding her.

"I understand, Ethan, but it's Sunday. Pilar is going to bring Jane back at noon and it would be really nice to have lunch with you. Please come home."

"Alright. I'll be there." Ethan hung up the phone, belatedly realizing he hadn't said goodbye. Or that he loved her. 'Dammit, I've been so careless lately, and I'm hurting Gwen. Again. And Theresa. This is-God, what a mess.'

He picked up his briefcase to head out the door, but the ringing of his cell phone stopped him. Probably Gwen again. He answered it, his tone apologetic. "Gwen?"

"No, this is Luis. Don't you ever look at your Caller ID? If you'd started whispering sweet nothings I would have been traumatized for life." Luis's tone was playful.

"Oh, sorry, Luis. Is this about Sarah's records?"

"Yeah, I guess Gwen told you that she asked that we review them. I just wanted to let you both know that we did receive the fax from L.A. and Eve is coming in to look everything over. She'll need to consult with the coroner here so it will probably be a few days before the review is complete. Do you want to tell Gwen or should I call her as well?"

"No, I'll take care of it. Thank you, Luis."

"No problem. Hope this clears everything up for you two." Luis hung up on his end.

"Me too." Ethan whispered to himself as he headed out the door.

**At the Winthrop residence**

**  
**Pilar looked sternly at her daughter as she pulled into the drive of Ethan and Gwen's home. "I told Gwen she wouldn't have to see you, Theresa. I wish you hadn't insisted on coming with me to drop Jane off. It was considerate of her to let you see Jane. This could be a turning point-if this goes well maybe eventually Ethan and Gwen will agree to regular visitation."

Theresa scoffed. "Visitation, Mama? A few hours a week with my daughter? Is that what I'm holding out for?"

"Well, it is certainly better than nothing, Theresa, don't you think?" Pilar gave her daughter a piercing glance.

Theresa sighed. "I'm sorry, Mama. Thank you for arranging this. It was really a wonderful surprise. I'll stay in the car while you take Jane to the door."

Pilar sighed with gratitude, happy that Theresa was being reasonable for once. As she reached out to unstrap Jane another car pulled into the driveway behind them. A gasp from Theresa caught Pilar's attention. Looking up, she saw that it was Luis's patrol car. He was getting out, followed by Fancy, and to Theresa and Pilar's mutual surprise, Eve. "What in the world is going on?" Pilar wondered aloud as she pulled Jane into her arms.

Theresa quickly got out of the passenger side. "Luis, what's going on?" She asked as another patrol car pulled in behind them. Sam got out of the second patrol car, followed by an officious looking older man in a suit.

Before Luis could answer the front door opened and Gwen and Ethan hurried down the steps. Gwen looked relieved as she saw Jane in Pilar's arms, hurrying over to reclaim the little girl. Meanwhile, Ethan approached the visitors, Theresa following curiously behind.

"Ethan, this is Geoffrey Masters, the coroner." Sam introduced the older man, who reached out to shake Ethan's hand. "Mr. Masters, this is Ethan Winthrop."

"Sam, Luis, Eve..." Ethan was confused and more than a little nervous. "What's going on? Is this about Sarah's records? You said the review wouldn't be done for a few days."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news about the records." Sam scratched his head, wishing he didn't have to bring fresh pain to his son and daughter in law. "May we go inside?"

Gwen, who had heard everything, was pale and shaken, but she nodded, her hostess skills taking over. "Please. I'll make us some coffee."

Pilar touched Theresa's shoulder. "We should go, Theresa. This is private."

"No, Mama. I need to know what's going on. I need to know what happened to Sarah. What if someone is targeting Ethan and Gwen? Jane could be in danger, and I'm not leaving until I know for myself that she's safe." Shaking off her mother's hand, Theresa followed the group into the house, Pilar trailing worriedly behind.

_**Meanwhile...in Prague**_:

A picture of a smiling Gwen and Ethan graced the front of the Harmony newspaper that was lying on the desk. A strong hand reached out and picked it up, studying it intently, then reaching for the scissors. Carefully, the hand began to cut out the article. When the task was done, the figure turned and walked across the dim, barren room, stopping before a an old, wrought iron bed that had clearly seen better days.

Kneeling, the stranger reached beneath the bed, pulling out a small, wooden box. Turning the key in the lock, the box was opened to reveal clipping after clipping, all from Harmony, all of Gwen and Ethan...but mostly Gwen.

An elegant finger traced the lines of her photograph before gently placing the article in the box. "I'm waiting for you, Gwen. I know you won't be able to stay away. But hurry-we're running out of time."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**The Ex Factor**_

_by Ava Sinclair_

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and all three of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Menawhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're so moved, please leave me one. :)_

Back in Harmony:

Gwen barely paid attention to the fact that Theresa and Pilar had joined the crowd of people in her living room.Â Her attention was completely focused on Eve and Geoffrey Masters.

"You said there was some news about the records? Please tell me!"

Luis began to speak for the group. "Well, it's like I told you both when I called. We got the records, and I didn't realize anything was wrong. I mean, I'm not a doctor or anything but when Eve got there, she said...well.." he broke off and looked at Eve, who picked up where he left off.

"We can't do the review. I'm sorry, but the records were incomplete. Not just incomplete-they were nearly useless. Huge chunks of information are missing, tissue samples, test results-it's completely unfathomable."

"What?" Ethan tightened the protective arm that's around his wife. "How is that possible? We had everything done by the book in L.A. No one mentioned anything about this!"

Gwen just shook her head, unable to speak as tears sprang into her eyes.

Geoffrey Masters stepped forward and began to speak. "Chief Bennett called to advise me of the situation, and I requested to come here with him to meet with you.Â We've sent a message back to the L.A. coroner's office advising them of the incomplete records and asking them to locate the rest immediately. But if they can't-I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Winthrop, but I'll have no choice to consider the circumstances of your daughter's death suspicious, and have the investigation re-opened.Â In that case, I'd need to have some samples from the two of you, so I might as well get them now."

"What kind of samples?" Gwen whispered.

"DNA samples." Mr. Masters voice was professional, but there was sympathy in his eyes. "In all likelihood, I will have to have your daughter's body exhumed."

Gwen's knees collapsed beneath her, and she fell heavily to the floor. "Oh my God." she whispered, tears streaking down her face. "This is such a nightmare. Why is this happening to us?"

Sam stepped forward, helping Ethan as he assisted his wife back to her feet and onto the couch. "I'm so sorry, you two. In all likelihood, this is just an error and all this will be is confirmation of Sarah's death by natural causes.Â We will definitely be lodging a strong complaint with the L.A. coroner's office for their carelessness."

"You really think that's it?" Gwen's voice was shaky. "It's just an error, nothing more?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Ethan smoothed his wife's hair. "Of course that's all it is."

"You're kidding me, right?" Theresa stepped forward. "You're not all going to try to sweep this under the rug AGAIN and pretend it's all just a mistake, right? Something is wrong! Can't you feel it? The more you dig, the more you're going to come up with things that don't make sense. Autopsy records don't just disappear or erase their own information-someone had to be behind this! Or..." she paused for a moment. "Or there was never a complete autopsy done in the first place."

Gwen stood up, anger giving her energy. "First of all, you were not invited into my home. Second of all, this is none of your business! What are you trying to imply?"

"Oh come on!" Theresa couldn't believe even Gwen could be this obtuse. "Take a deep breath, everyone! Do you know what that smell is? It's the scent of malice and trickery-it's the scent of Alistair Crane! Don't you get it? He did it with your baby, didn't he, Eve? He faked his death! Wake up, all of you! Sarah isn't dead!"

That's preposterous." Geoffrey Masters spoke before anyone else. "I agree that the records are a mess, and that level of incompetence is inexcusable, but to suggest the baby's death has been faked? Young lady, you've been watching too many soap operas."

"And you must be new in town." Theresa snapped back. "Believe me, stranger things have happened here. It would almost be more strange if Sarah really was dead."

"That's it!" Ethan stepped forward and took Theresa by the arm. "Get out, Theresa, right now." He dragged her towards the door. Pilar stopped for a moment to pat Gwen on the arm. "Gwen...maybe Theresa has a point." she whispered softly before following Ethan and her daughter out the door.

Gwen just stood paralyzed to the spot, watching the three of them leave. Eve looked at her worriedly. "Gwen, sit down. You look as if you're about to collapse again."

"Eve.." Gwen stared at her with haunted eyes as Eve sat next to her. "Do you think it's possible? Do you think Alistair could have faked Sarah's death?"

Eve sighed heavily, her own eyes filling with tears as the memories came back. "He's capable of anything. We all know that. But why would he do that to you and Ethan? Even Alistair does nothing without a motive. He faked my child's death because he didn't an illegitimate, black Crane heir. I just don't see why he would have done that to the two of you."

Gwen sighed. "I don't know, Eve. But I have to find out the truth."

Outside, Theresa yanked herself from Ethan's grip. "Stop treating me like a child!"

"Well, then stop acting like one! Stop playing games with Gwen's head-she's been through enough."

"I'm not playing games! Ethan, please, for once, listen to me. I am trying to help you. If Sarah's alive, you need to find her. Don't let her be a pawn of Alistair's-fight for her, for God's sakes!"

"Theresa, stop! You know what you're saying is crazy! Sarah is dead, and so is Alistair. No matter how much you scream, that won't change. Let it go."

Pilar stepped in between them. "Theresa, let's just go."

"Wait." Ethan stopped her. "Let me take Theresa home, please, Pilar. There are some things I need to say to her."

Both Pilar and Theresa began to protest but Ethan cut them off. "Please."

Pilar sighed. "Fine. Theresa, I expect you'll be home very soon." She shot them both a warning glance before going to her car.

Theresa dragged her feet as she slowly got into Ethan's car. She didn't want to be alone with him, didn't want to hear what he had to say. Whatever it was, it would just be another tiny dagger in her heart. She had given up hope that Ethan would ever look at her the way he once had, with love in his eyes and trust in his face. She had blown that once, but he'd blown it ever since. Sometimes she wondered if she could ever forgive him for that, but other times her heart screamed out to forget it all and just throw herself into him. She had to be stronger than that.

For a moment Ethan was silent as they drove, then he turned his head to look at her.

"Whatever game you're playing with Gwen, it needs to stop, Theresa."

"Ethan..." Sure enough, at his words her heart tore open and bled a little. "I already told you I didn't have anything to do with it. Why can't you believe in me, for once?"

"Because you've lied to me before."

"And you've lied to me!" Theresa exploded. "And everyone around you! And you lie to Gwen every single day! Why do you hold yourself so high above me? I've made some mistakes, Ethan-a lot of mistakes and I regret them. But at least I have the guts to acknowledge where I went wrong. You, on the other hand, are a coward."

Ethan looked stung at her words. They were pulling into her driveway now. He switched off the engine and turned to her. "How can you say that to me?"

"How can I not?" Theresa asked wearily. "Ethan.." Her voice turned gentle. "Look at me. Look into my eyes."

He looked-he couldn't help himself. It was like falling and falling down an endless tunnel and he never wanted it to stop.

Theresa gently caressed his cheek. "I promise you, I had nothing to do with that phone call, Ethan. I promise you, I didn't sell you out to the tabloids. There are so many things I've done that have been so wrong, but I never would do that to you, and believe it or not, I wouldn't do that to Gwen. If you ever loved me, if you know me at all, you'll believe me. Look into my eyes and tell me you believe me, Ethan, please."

Ethan looked, and his heart wanted to scream 'Yes, Theresa, yes..I believe you. I've always believed in you.' But if he said it, he would have to admit so much more...

Slowly he shook his head. "I can't, Theresa. I'm sorry. I just don't know whether you're-"

"Stop, Ethan, just stop!" Theresa felt her heart shatter in her chest and she couldn't stop the tears that begin to trickle down her face. "I know what this is, so you don't have to say another word. If you believe the worst of me, it makes it easier for you to hurt me, doesn't it? It makes it OK for you to play with my emotions, tell me you love me and you want me, then pull away and leave me broken. It makes it OK for you to walk away from me over and over, because you've convinced yourself I don't deserve better. Damn you to hell, Ethan Winthrope." She began to get out of the car but Ethan caught at her arm.

"No, Theresa, wait!"

"I'm done waiting, Ethan. Done forever. If I had my way, I'd never see you again." Pulling away, she turned and ran up the steps and disappeared into her home.

"Damn it!" Ethan smacked the steering wheel in frustration. 'You handled that brilliantly, Winthrop.' He cursed himself. 'Once again, you manage to say exactly the wrong thing. Maybe Theresa's right-all I do is cause her pain. I should just stay away-but God forgive me, I don't think I can.'

**Inside...**

Pilar gasped in alarm as Theresa burst into the room, tears streaking down her face. "Oh, Teresita, what did he say to you?"

"I can't...just leave me alone, please, Mama. Just for now." Theresa ran into her old bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Throwing herself on the bed, she sobbed into the pillow for several minutes, then standing up, she looked around the room with wet eyes. She'd destroyed Ethan's pictures in her office, but here they still decorated the dresser, the walls, the nightstand...picking one up she flung it into the wall, then another, then another...

Glass smashed all around her as the pictures continued to hit the wall. Theresa was sobbing hysterically. "Damn you, Ethan, you coward...how could you do this to me!" Then finally she collapsed, crying desperately, in a heap on the floor.

**One Month Later**:

Gwen's heart pounded almost through her chest as she and Ethan walked through the door of the coroner's office. It seemed like it had been an eternity of waiting over the past month. First they had found out that not only did the L.A. coroner's office seem completely unable to find Sarah's missing records, but the coroner who'd done her autopsy supposedly 'retired' and mysteriously could not be located. So finally they had had no choice but to agree to re open the investigation. Once she had gotten over the initial shock, Gwen was resigned to having Sarah's autopsy redone by Geoffrey Masters. Ethan, however, was another story. He'd been beyond furious at the idea of his daughter's body being exhumed, even going so far as to obtain a court order to prevent it. It took all of Gwen's best efforts to talk him into dropping the injunction, and Gwen knew he felt betrayed when she didn't side with him. He'd barely spoken to her for weeks. Now though, she needed him more than ever, and she knew he needed her too. It was time to put an end to all of the anger between them.

Stopping short of the door, Gwen took Ethan's hand in hers. "Ethan, please..talk to me. We're about to find out the results of Sarah's second autopsy, and we need to be together on this. I can't stand thinking that you feel I wanted our daughter to be defiled. I just want us to know the truth!"

Ethan sighed heavily as he looked into his wife's eyes. "I know you didn't, Gwen, and I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you. It's just...Gwen, that's my baby." His eyes were damp as he looked at her. "She's mine too. I know how badly you grieved, and I couldn't fall apart, because I had to be strong for you. But when Sarah died, part of me died too, and I've never forgotten. I've never been able to fill that emptiness. I miss her so much. I just wanted her to rest. I didn't want her to be dug up and..." He couldn't finish.

"I know, Ethan. I know." Gwen wrapped her arms around Ethan and pressed her face into his jacket.

"Come on-let's get this over with." Ethan pulled back and gestured for Gwen to walk into the office. Once again, Gwen felt the distance between them and it chilled her. There were only inches between them, yet it might as well have been an ocean.

When they walked in, Ethan felt his heart sink. Sam and Luis were there as well, expressions grim as they waited with Geoffrey Masters. This couldn't be good.

"Mr. and Mrs. Winthrop, please sit down." Geoffrey gestured at the chairs in front of them. He had a file folder on the desk in front of him.

"Sam, Luis.." Gwen looked at their solemn faces. "Why are you two here? What's going on?"

"Unfortunately, Gwen, it looks like this is now a possible criminal investigation. I'm very sorry." Sam said quietly.

Gwen's face turned white. "Are you saying...Sarah was murdered!?"

"No, no." Geoffrey Masters hastily interjected. "The problem is...well, I'm afraid we can't confirm a cause of death at all. We can't even confirm that Sarah Winthrop is legally dead. There's no easy way to say this, but the body in the grave...it wasn't your daughter."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**The Ex Factor**_

_by Ava Sinclair_

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and all three of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Menawhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're so moved, please leave me one. :)_

"Please tell me you're joking. Please tell me this is some sort of sick joke!" Ethan's voice rose.

"Oh my God, oh my God, Oh my God." Gwen whispered over and over. "Then where is our daughter? Is it true? Could she-" Gwen turned to stare at Ethan. "Could she still be alive?"

"I wouldn't go that far, Mrs. Winthrop." Geoffrey Masters leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hand over his forehead. "In fact, there may be a logical, if rather upsetting, explanation."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan stared hard at the coroner.

"There was another baby girl born in the same hospital that day." Luis spoke up. "Shilah Landry. She was still born. Her body was sent to the same morgue as Sarah. We think there may have been a mix up."

"What?" Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "How is that possible? How could such a terrible thing happen?"

"I don't know." Geoffrey Masters spoke again. "The sheer incompetence I've run into during this investigation is incredible. I've reported it to everyone I can. The coroner's office in L.A. is being formally investigated. Heads will roll for this, believe me."

"Well, do you know this for sure? That our daughter was switched with this other little girl?" Ethan's voice vibrated with confusion and pain.

"We're running the DNA tests now. The parents of Shilah Landry were very upset when we contacted them, and it took a while to get them to agree to the testing. They are not accepting the possibility that their daughter may have been buried in the wrong grave."

"And what about Sarah? Are you testing the other body as well? I want her back here. I want to bury my baby in her proper resting place." Gwen's voice broke and she began to sob.

Sam leaned down and put a comforting hand on his daughter in law's shoulders. "Unfortunately, Gwen, the Landrys had their daughter cremated. It won't be possible to test the other remains."

"I see." Gwen's tears began to dry, to the amazement of everyone watching. Calmly, she stood up and began pacing the room. Ethan watched her worriedly. Had it all been too much for his wife-was she about to snap?

Gwen turned to the men and looked them each in the face. "This is all very convenient, don't you think? The missing records, the unavailable coroner, the 'accidental' switching of the bodies, the Landrys having their daughter cremated. I don't buy it."

"Gwen, what are you saying?" Ethan asked.

"I'm saying this doesn't add up. I can't believe I'm about to say this but I think Theresa was right all along. I think Sarah's alive."

Winthrop Residence

Gwen had been silent for over an hour after making her dramatic declaration in the coroner's office. They had gone home almost immediately after. There seemed to be nothing else to say. She could see the pity in Sam and Luis's eyes, and the frank disbelief on Geoffrey Masters face. They all thought she'd lost it, she thought to herself broodingly. Even Ethan. She looked at her husband resentfully.

Ethan watched his wife as she quietly unloaded the dishwasher, doing chores as if it were just any other evening. He wasn't fooled by her calm facade. Underneath it, a storm was brewing and he needed to head it off at the pass.

"Gwen, stop. Come here." He took his wife's hand and walked her over to the couch, putting subtle pressure on her until she sat down. Kneeling in front of her, he took both her hands in his. "Gwen, I know this has been a terrible time-for both of us. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you, but we have to face this together. Our daughter is dead, and no amount of wishful thinking will change that. I'm so sorry that all this had to happen. Someone will pay for this mix up, I swear, but it doesn't change the facts. Please, let her go, honey. Let our daughter go."

Gwen's eyes welled again. Crying again-she couldn't believe she had more tears left to shed. "Ethan, it just doesn't make sense. It's all too strange to be mere coincidence. Throw Alistair into the mix, and it all adds up. Something is very, very wrong."

"No." Ethan shook his head, allowing irritation creep into his voice. "I'm not going to let you go down that road, Gwen. I'm not, do you hear me? Sarah's death nearly destroyed us, but we finally got past it. Now you want to go chasing rainbows until you find out there's nothing really there. It will kill you, Gwen. It will rip your heart out when you realize that it was all just a fantasy-that our little girl died five years ago in Los Angeles. I won't let you go through that. I will do everything in my power from letting you get hurt like that again."

Stunned by the iron in his voice, Gwen couldn't think of anything to say as Ethan got to his feet.

"I'm making an appointment for you, with a psychiatrist. It will help you deal with all of this."

Gwen started to protest but Ethan cut her off. "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Gwen. It is completely understandable that you want to believe that Sarah's alive, but I'm not letting Theresa drag you into one of her crazy fantasies. You're going to deal with this now. We both are."

"Ethan, please, listen to me..."

"Gwen, I can't hear this right now. I'm going out for a while." Ethan pulled his jacket out of his closet. "Would you like me to call someone to stay with you and Jane?"

Gwen couldn't believe her ears. Ethan was treating her like a child-an unstable, emotionally fragile child. "Of course not, Ethan but would you please just-"

Ethan acted like he hadn't heard a word she said. The slamming of the front door was his only response. Dropping back onto the couch, Gwen buried her face in the cushions and began to sob her heart out.

Walking  
  
Ignoring the chill wind, Ethan walked mindlessly, without destination. The sky darkened and the hours ticked by as his feet pounded the dark streets, and yet he couldn't seem to exhaust himself enough for his mind to let him rest.

'What is happening to me?' He whispered to himself. 'How could I just leave Gwen in that state? My God...I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I've never felt so lost. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I have the energy to keep trying. Theresa always believed in fate. Well, I do too, to be honest. I believe fate is a cruel puppetmaster, pulling all of our strings and laughing while we twist in the wind. Fate will never bring me and Theresa together-all it does is take. It took my identity, the love of my life, my daughter, and now it's taking me, bit by bit. I'm falling apart.'

Finally, he turned and walked towards the one place he always seemed to end up when he needed to think. The pier. Standing on the edge, his eyes moved with the restless waves. He didn't know how long he'd been there when he felt a hand slip into his. He didn't need to look. He knew it was her, because he needed her, and she always came when he did.

"Hello, Theresa."

Theresa looked into Ethan's sorrow filled eyes and her heart clenched.

"I heard about Sarah." she murmured softly as his fingers tightened around hers. "About the...mix up. Luis told me."

Ethan sighed heavily. "So you came. How did you find me?"

Theresa laughed softly. "Ethan, I will always be here. No matter where you go, no matter how far apart we are, or who we're with, I'll always be here for you. You could be across the world, in middle of the biggest crowd, so loud you can't hear yourself think, and all you'd have to do is whisper my name, and I'll come."

"I don't deserve you." Ethan's whisper was so soft that she barely heard it. And maybe it was true, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she cared about was that he was bleeding inside, and he needed her, and as long as he did, she wasn't going anywhere.

As Ethan wrapped his arms around Theresa a small voice screamed in his head that it should be Gwen he was allowing to comfort him, not her. But he couldn't break down in front of Gwen-he was too afraid of what it could do to her. Right now he wanted to be weak, he wanted to fall apart and be put back together, and this was what he needed. Right or wrong, he couldn't move.

Several hours later Theresa quietly opened her front door, walking softly into the darkened living room, not wanting to make any noise that might awaken Pilar or Ethan Jr. She didn't bother to flip on the light; just stowed her purse on the counter in the gloom, intending to go straight to her bed. She was exhausted.

"Well, you are certainly burning the midnight oil, aren't you?' A crisp, cold voice came out of the darkness, startling Theresa so much her keys slipped out of her hand and thudded on the floor.Â She flipped on the light, her heart pounding as she whirled to confront the person sitting on the couch.

"Gwen?! What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Gwen gave her a small, bitter looking smile. "I came to talk to you. I thought that would be obvious."

"How did you get in?" Theresa looked around. There was no sign of Pilar, and she certainly wouldn't have left Gwen alone and gone back to sleep.

Gwen held up a key, arching an eyebrow at Theresa's shocked expression. "I can't believe you still hide the spare underneath the mat. That's the first place a burglar would look, I hope you know."

Theresa sighed in irritation. "I told Mama to stop doing that." She murmured softly, more to herself then to Gwen.

Her momentary anger washed away as she saw the small figure next to Gwen, sleeping soundly underneath a pink blanket. "You brought Jane." she said in surprise.  
"Of course I brought her." Gwen rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm not exactly going to leave her home by herself."

"Well, what about Ethan?" Theresa asked, trying to sound like she didn't know Ethan hadn't been home all night.

"He's out." Gwen snapped. "Enough with the chit chat, Theresa. I need to talk to you about Sarah. I need to know exactly why you believe she's not dead. And then..." Gwen closed her eyes for a moment, unable to believe herself what she was about to say. "I think I need your help."

You need my help." Theresa repeatedly blankly. "Well, that's a switch."

"Don't rub it in." Gwen snapped. "I would do anything to find my daughter, and that is the only reason why I'm desperate enough to come to you. I'm not looking to bond or anything."

"That's a relief." Theresa muttered.

Gwen heaved an impatient sigh. "Are we going to talk or what?"

"That depends. You got a baseball bat stashed underneath that coat?" Theresa gave Gwen an arch smile.

"Ha ha. This is serious, Theresa."

"OK, OK. So talk."

Gwen spent the next few minutes detailing what she and Ethan had found out from Geoffrey Masters that day. Theresa didn't bother to tell her she already knew most of it-it would probably cause more drama and that was the last thing she was in the mood for.

" We're supposed to get the test results tomorrow to confirm that the body in Sarah's grave is Shilah's, but the coroner is just about certain that it is. So everyone is convinced that it's just a mix up, that Sarah was cremated in place of that poor Shilah Landry." Gwen finished.

"But you're not." Theresa said quietly.

Gwen exhaled. "I don't know. Maybe Ethan is right. Maybe I'm just letting myself get lost in this fantasy that Sarah is alive. After all, the only other person in all of Harmony who thinks it might be true is you, and that's never an indicator of reality."

Theresa rolled her eyes but chose to ignore the insult for the moment. "Gwen, what do you really believe, deep down? Listen to your heart. What is it telling you? Do you honestly think that Sarah is dead? Or does your mother's instinct tell you that she's not?"

Gwen closed her eyes for a moment, and a single tear escaped from beneath her eyelids, sliding down her face. "She's alive, Theresa. I know it. I feel it."

"Well, that's good enough for me. I believe it too."

Gwen opened her eyes and stared at Theresa suspiciously. "Why do you believe me, Theresa? Why you, out of everyone? Do you know something you're not telling me?" She sat up straight as a thought occurred to her. "Did you find something? You have access to everything of Alistair's-his records, his computer-you found something, didn't you?" Her tone was accusing.

"No." Theresa shook her head. "I've looked, believe me. Alistair had a ton of encrypted files-who knows what information was in there. But I hired the best computer hacker in the country and when he broke the code, everything had been emptied. Whatever secrets Alistair had, he took them to the grave."

"So that's it. We have no leads, nothing to go on. This is just a waste of time." Gwen's tone was despairing.

"No, Gwen, that's not true. I can help you. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll have the best software installed to do a composite picture of what Sarah might look like now. We'll have her flyer distributed all over the world. We'll hire detectives in every single country that Crane has offices at. We will find her, Gwen. With Crane Industries behind you, you and Ethan will have endless resources at your fingertips."

"Why would you do that?" Gwen looked both hopeful and wary. "I know it's not out of the goodness of your heart, Theresa. I have a hard time believing you have one. So what is the price for your help?"

Theresa hesitated. She knew Gwen would never believe it, but it had been an honest offer, made with no thought of what she might gain from it. She had never been able to shake off her share of guilt over Sarah's death. Hidden it, yes..tried to deny it, tried to stomp it into oblivion. But deep down, she had to live with the fact that Ethan and Gwen had lost her child and she had been involved. But now that Gwen had mentioned it...this may be the opportunity that she had been waiting for...

Gwen tensed as she saw Theresa's eyes fasten on Jane. "You bitch." She whispered. "You're going to blackmail me into giving you back Jane, aren't you?"

"It's not blackmail, Gwen." Theresa said through gritted teeth. "She is my daughter. She needs to be with me. You ripped her away from me. Be honest, Gwen-if you were in my position what would you do?"

Gwen ignored the question. "I could never be in your position, and thank God for that." She stood up, scooping Jane into her arms. "I love Jane. Sarah is my daughter and part of my soul, but she has her own place in my heart. Jane is my child too, and I won't just trade her to you. I can't. This conversation is over. I'll find Sarah without you."

Theresa watched silently as Gwen stormed out the door, slamming it behind her. "I don't think you can, Gwen." She whispered to herself. "And I'm going to help you, whether you like it or not."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	14. Chapter 14

**The Next Morning: 10 a.m.: Crane Industries  
**  
Theresa picked up the ringing phone in her office. "Hello?" she said expectantly. 'Please let this be the call I've been waiting for'. she whispered to herself.

"Hello, Mrs. Crane, this is Rosalie. The flyers will take a while longer, considering you wanted it translated into so many different languages, but the photo has been generated and I'm sending it to your e-mail now. I thought you'd like to see it."

"Excellent, Rosalie, I'll check for it now. Thank you for all of your hard work." Theresa replaced the receiver and then dashed over to her computer, scarcely able to breathe; she was so excited. She'd been in touch with the experts who did age enhanced photos of missing children-the best in the country-and asked them to generate a photo of Sarah Winthrop as she might look now, at age five. Theresa's fingers shook as she tried to type in her password. 'I can hardly wait to see it.' She whispered to herself. 'And if I'm this excited, imagine how Gwen and Ethan are going to feel. They are finally going to see their daughter's face. If this doesn't change Gwen's mind about accepting my offer, I don't know what will."

The few seconds it took to download seemed like an eternity but suddenly the pixellated images cleared and the faces popped on her screen-a smaller photo each of Gwen and Ethan, the photos that had been combined to create Sarah's picture, and in the middle, nearly filling the screen, Sarah's image looked back at her. Theresa traced the impish smile gently-Ethan's smile, completely. She had his chin too, his face structure-but her skin, eyes, and hair were pure Gwen. 'This has to be what she looks like.' Theresa whispered to herself. 'This is who we're looking for, and I swear, we're going to find her. Whatever Alistair did to her, he won't get away with it.'

A knock on the door broke into her reverie. The door opened before she could answer. "Valerie.." Theresa thought to herself. Lately her assistant had been getting very presumptuous and her attitude left a lot to be desired.

She opened her mouth, ready to chew the woman out for coming in without waiting for a response, but then stopped in surprise. It wasn't Valerie-it was Ethan.  
"Ethan, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise. The memory of last night came back to her. They had done nothing more than stay in each other's arms for hours but it was almost more intimate then-well...she wouldn't think about that now.

"I just wanted to thank you, Theresa. For last night. I appreciate you being there for me the way you were."

"Yes, well..." Theresa couldn't think of anything else to say. Feeling suddenly shy and awkward, she busied herself straightening papers on her desk. "You're welcome."

"So, where's Jared?" Ethan asked, unable to control the disdain that crept into his voice whenever he said the other man's name.

"Oh, he's around. He's going over some paperwork with Chad. I um...I'd better get back to work. Thanks for stopping by." It was too hard to be around him. Last night had been an exception-she just couldn't help but respond to his pain, but in the clear light of day, her armor was back up. She wouldn't allow Ethan to hurt her anymore.

"Ok then." Ethan looked disappointed that he couldn't get her attention. "I guess I'll go." He turned to leave but suddenly a gasp escaped his lips and his face went white.Â "Theresa..what the hell is that?" He was pointing at her computer screen-at Sarah's picture.

Looking like someone had punched him in the gut, Ethan walked over to the monitor, staring as if he'd seen a ghost. "Is this...my God, Theresa, is this Sarah?"  
"Ethan, I was going to tell you. It's a computer generated photograph of what she could look like now. Police have been using them for years to find missing children, and their accuracy can be amazing. I'm having flyers printed up. I thought-"

"Theresa, how the hell could you do this?" Ethan thundered. Theresa paled as Ethan came towards her, looking angrier then she had ever recalled seeing him. "Do you know what it would do to Gwen to see this? She's trying to accept Sarah's death all over again. And so am I! My God, can't you just let it go?"

"Actually, it was Gwen who inspired me to do this!" Theresa fired back, her temper rising as Ethan glared at her. "She was waiting for me when I got home last night, Ethan. She asked me to help her. She believes that Sarah is still alive, and so do I."

"Gwen came to you for help?" Ethan stared at her in sheer disbelief. "I don't believe it, Theresa. I thought she and I had talked about this. I thought she was ready to move on. Clearly, I was wrong. Well, that's it, Theresa. Have the photograph erased and the flyers cancelled. My daughter is dead, do you hear me? I've had enough of these games!"

"This is not a game!" Theresa cried, tears springing to her eyes. "Your daughter could be alive, Ethan, and she needs you. You and Gwen. I want to help you, both of you. We can find her if we work together!"

"Stop it!" Ethan's hands balled into fists and to Theresa's shock, he picked up the computer monitor, throwing it full force against the wall. The screen shattered as it fell heavily to the ground, blue sparks shooting upwards. The force left a large dent in the plaster. Theresa, stunned at the force of his rage, could only stand there as he turned back to her, breathing heavily.

"Maybe in your own deranged way, you actually believe you're trying to help. But chasing ghosts is not going to help any of us. It could even cost Gwen her sanity. Let it go, Theresa, I'm warning you. As for Gwen, I'm going to talk to her, right now. I'm going to put a stop to all of this, for good." He turned on his foot and left the office, slamming the door so hard behind him that the doorjamb cracked.

Theresa sank into the office chair, her legs refusing to hold her up any longer. "Ethan, I'm so sorry that you're hurting. But you're wrong - Sarah is alive, and if you won't help Gwen find her, I will, behind your back if I have to."

Picking up the phone, she began to dial. She had a lot of arrangements to make, and very little time to do it in.

**Winthrop Residence**:

Gwen smoothed Jane's hair down and dropped a kiss on the sleeping toddler's forehead. "Sleep well, sweetheart." She whispered as she backed out of the room. Her heart swelled with love as she looked back at the child. "I love her so much." she whispered to herself. "How dare Theresa imply that I could replace Jane with Sarah? I could never give her up, not ever." She walked back to the living room, glad she had taken the next week off of work. She really needed time to collect herself, time to plan her next move. Time to figure out how she was going to find her daughter.

"Ethan!" Gwen said in surprise, staring at her husband, who was standing in the living room, his face a cold mask. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?"

"We need to talk, Gwen. Sit down." Ethan indicated the sofa with a jerk of his head.

Gwen sat, feeling nervousness course through her. "Ethan, what is it? Did you find something else out about Sarah?"

"Yes, I did." Ethan held some papers in his hand. "I stopped by the coroner's office. The DNA results are in. The body in Sarah's grave is that of Shilah Landry, just like we thought."

Gwen nodded, eyes misting over.

"I also found out that you tried to recruit Theresa in some crazy scheme to find Sarah. Gwen, I thought we had talked about this. Sarah is dead. The baby switch was a horrible accident. I told you yesterday that I would do everything in my power to stop you from doing this to yourself, destroying yourself in a fruitless search for a dream. I meant it, Gwen. Either you give this up now, or... , please don't put me in this position." He dropped to his knees as he had the day before, taking her cold, shaking hands in his. "When Sarah died, I didn't know if you'd ever recover. Then, when we lost Nathan and you found out Jane wasn't biologically yours, you suffered a complete mental breakdown. You tried to kill Theresa, and you almost went to jail for the rest of your life. I'm doing this for your own good, Gwen, because I love you."

Gwen's mouth was dry. "Doing what, Ethan?" She managed. The look on his face-he was looking at her as if she were a stranger. He was so cold, and it was scaring her to death.

"I made some phone calls before I got here. I made arrangements for you to have a full psychological evaluation. The doctor that I spoke to is very good at helping patients deal with grief, Gwen. He wants to see you tomorrow, but from I told him...he feels that a short hospitalization is what's best for you at this time, to help you deal with this delusion that Sarah's alive."

"WHAT?!" Gwen pulled her hands out of Ethan's and stood up, the blood draining from her face. "Ethan, you want to lock me up? Are you kidding me? Ethan, why can't you trust me? I'm not crazy!"

"Don't think of it that way, Gwen. No one is trying to lock you up. We just want to help you. I want to help you. Gwen, I'm doing this for you, I told you I wouldn't let you go down that road again, and I won't, even if you hate me for it." Ethan's eyes were wet. "I don't want to do this, Gwen, but I can sign you in against your will if I have to. Please don't make me. Please do the evaluation tomorrow. If you can show you're stable enough, maybe outpatient therapy will be enough. But if you won't even try to deal with reality, then I have no choice. I will have you hospitalized."

"Ethan, my God...how could you do this to me? I don't even know you any more-you're scaring me." Gwen whispered.

"I'm doing this for you." Ethan repeated firmly, stubbornly. "I just don't want to see you go through any more pain."

"How can you believe your actions aren't causing me pain?!" Gwen raged. Unable to continue, she turned and began pacing the room, her mind working rapidly. Ethan's expression was unmovable. She'd never seen him like that before, so cold, so untouchable. _'He's really going to do this. He's going to have me institutionalized if I don't stop looking for Sarah.' _

Thinking quickly, Gwen stopped pacing and turned to face Ethan, allowing her tears to show. "Maybe you're right, Ethan. I'll do the evaluation tomorrow. I know I've been acting irrationally, and I'm so sorry. It's just that I miss her so much, and I wanted so badly to believe she's alive. But it's really not possible, is it?" She buried her face in Ethan's chest, crying, hating herself for the show she was putting on. But she couldn't let Ethan lock her up. Sarah was alive and she needed her mother. Nothing was going to stop Gwen from finding her daughter, not even Ethan.

Ethan looked relieved as he pulled Gwen back to look in her eyes. "I knew you'd see reason, Gwen. Thank you. We're going to get through this, OK?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I've got to get back to the office, but I don't want you to be alone. Let me think of who i could call..."

"Call Sheridan." Gwen said hurriedly. Ethan raised an eyebrow at her easy compliance.

"I mean, you're right." Gwen continued, giving Ethan a weak smile. "I don't feel like being alone right now either, and I'd really like to see her. Could you call her, please?"

"Of course, sweetheart. You just relax. I'll stay here until she shows up." Ethan patted her on the head as if she were three, and then left the room, dialing his cell phone as he went.

'And do you really think Sheridan's not going to understand where I'm coming from, Ethan?' Gwen whispered to herself. 'After all she went through with Marty and Luis? Yes, she's exactly the person that I need-the person who may be able to help me get out of this mess and find my daughter.'

Sitting back down, she plastered a tearful, regretful expression on her face as Ethan re-entered the room. "She'll be here as soon as she can." He sat down next to Gwen. "You're handling this so well, sweetheart. Thank you again for being so reasonable." He took her hand in his. Gwen let him caress her fingers, scarcely unable to contain her desire to grab something heavy and hit him over the head with it. How could her own husband be so pigheaded, so completely unmoving? How could he have so little faith in here? Well, if Ethan thought she was just going to sit around and let everyone patronize her like she was crazy, he was the one who needed hospitalization.

'You just don't know me at all, do you, Ethan? Because nothing will stop me from finding our daughter, and once I do, you'd just better hope I forgive you for trying to stop me in the first place.'

**One Hour Later**:

Sheridan sat, stunned, on Gwen's couch, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. "Let me get this straight. Sarah's body is gone. No one can verify what happened to it. No one can even verify that she was ever given an autopsy. And Ethan-he doesn't think something is very wrong? He thinks you're crazy? He wants to hospitalize you?" Her voice was filled with indignation. "What the hell is wrong with him? Oh, if he was here I'd smack some sense into him." She shook her head in bewilderment, her heart aching for her friend. "Gwen, I'm so glad you had him call me. I do understand what you're going through. I just can't believe that Ethan is being like this!"

"I can't believe it either." Gwen stood up, arms crossed over her chest as she stared morosely out the window. "I just-I need him, and he's so far away. Even when he's here, he's not here. He's been gone for a long, long time, and I don't know how to get him back." Her voice broke. Sheridan hurried over to put a comforting arm around her friend, but Gwen shook her off gently.

"No, Sheridan. I don't have time for more tears. I have to plan. There's no way I'm going to that evaluation tomorrow. I can't allow anyone to interfere with my search for Sarah. That's why I need your help. Sheridan, I'm going to Prague. Tonight."

Outside the Winthrop residence, a car sat across the street, the windows darkened. Inside, a man picked up a phone and began to dial. "Mrs. Crane? This is Fred. Yes, Ms. Winthrop is still at her home. There's no sign of activity as of yet."

"Good." Theresa breathed a sigh of relief. "Just stay on her, ok? I don't want Gwen to make a move without me knowing about it." She hung up the phone. 'I know you're not going to let this go, Gwen. But you need my help-you can't do this by yourself. And I need my daughter just as much as you need yours. Before this is over, you're going to give her to me.'

She turned to Valerie. "Have you made all of the arrangments?"

"Er.." Valerie studied her nails. "Most of them."

"Valerie, what am I paying you for?" Theresa lost all patience. "You are getting on my every last nerve. You may be Julian's favorite, for reasons I don't even want to imagine, but I'm in charge here. You have five minutes to set everything up just the way I asked you to, and if you don't, consider yourself unemployed. Now get the hell out of my office and earn your obscenely large paycheck."

Valerie gave her a furious look but seeing the fire in Theresa's eyes, hurriedly left the room.

"Ugh!" Theresa sat down, shielding her eyes. "The minute I get back, that worthless woman is so fired. There's something about her that makes my skin crawl-I can't believe I didn't notice it before."

"Hey, Tess." Jared was in front of him, setting down a container filled with Starbucks cups. "Everything ok?"

"Jared." A smile lit up Theresa's face. "And you come bearing large amounts of caffeine. What would I ever do without you?"

"Let's not ever find out, ok?" Jared winked at her as he passed her a cup.

Looking at him, Theresa felt a wave of guilt. Several weeks ago, she'd tried to break things off with him. Knowing she'd betrayed him with Ethan, knowing that she still loved another man, was too much guilt for her to bear. When she'd told him it was over though, Jared had completely surprised her. "It's my fault, Tess." He'd said, looking into her eyes. "I knew about Ethan. You told me how much you had loved him, and I've been pushing you and pushing you. I should have known you weren't ready to be intimate with me so fast. Let me make you a deal. If you can honestly say that you don't ever see having a future with me, I'll walk away right now. But if you think that someday you could love me, really love me, I'll wait-for as long as it takes."

'And who could turn down an offer like that?' Theresa thought to herself now. Of course, he didn't know she had cheated on him. And he didn't know that last night Ethan had turned to her again, and she'd been unable to walk away. Nothing had happened physically between them, but she doubted that would make Jared or Gwen feel better if either one of them were to find out. The guilt tasted bitter in her mouth. 'Well, it's over now.' Theresa thought to herself. 'I've given up on Ethan, but I do owe him one more favor. Him and Gwen. And that's to find their daughter and give her back to them. In return, I'll have my daughter back and it will finally be over. The war and the triangle-it will all end.'

But deep down, she knew it wouldn't be that simple...

**To Be Continued...**


	15. Chapter 15

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and the two of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Cat fights and backstabbing ensue, but if they can't make peace for at least a little while, both of them just may end up dead. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're so moved, please leave me one. :)_

Later That Night:

"You've made this very easy for me, Ethan." Gwen sighed to herself as she looked back at her darkened house. "Working later again-you probably won't be home for hours yet, and by that time, I'll be long gone. I'm sorry I had to do this, but you pushed my back into the wall." She'd left him a note, on his pillow, telling him just enough to keep him from thinking something bad had happened to her, but not enough to let him know where she was headed. Not that he wouldn't figure it out pretty quickly, but she hoped to have enough of a head start that he wouldn't be able to stop her.

Sheridan, standing next to her, couldn't hide her apprehension. "Are you sure you want to do this, Gwen? I understand, believe me, I do, but this could be dangerous, and going alone-I don't like it. I think you should tell Ethan. Try to make him understand. He should be with you."

"Yes, well with the way Ethan's been acting, he'd have me in a straitjacket before I could finish a sentence. I have to do this, Sheridan. Thank you so much for agreeing to take Jane. I knew I could count on you."

"Of course." Jane was snuggled in Sheridan's arms. She gave the tot a gentle kiss on the forehead. "You know I adore Jane. It will be a joy to have her."

Gwen gave Sheridan a quick hug and kissed Jane's cheek. "I have to go. I'm going to miss my flight if I don't hurry."

Sheridan got in her own vehicle, strapping Jane into the car seat in the back and giving Gwen a final wave before she pulled away.

Gwen got into her own car, hurriedly pulling out of the driveway. She was barely halfway down the street when a black limousine pulled out of a side street. She slowed, waiting for the car to pass, but it didn't. Instead it stopped, in the middle of the road, completely blocking her way. "What the hell?" Gwen leaned on her horn, honking loudly. "What are you doing? Move!" She yelled out of the window in frustration. She honked again, but there was no response, and the car didn't move. Getting out of the car, she strode over to the driver's window, banging on it angrily. "You need to move your car!"

The driver didn't respond. He didn't even look at her. Gwen was about to scream in frustration when one of the black tinted windows rolled down.

"Good evening, Gwen." Theresa smiled sweetly at the irate blonde.

"Theresa, what are you doing?!" Gwen was beyond furious. Did that nosy wench ever stop interfering with her business?

"I'm here to help, Gwen. And if you want to get to Prague tonight, I suggest you get in."

So she knew. Gwen couldn't even bring herself to be surprised. Theresa had a way of wheedling information out of anyone, even before she had all the power of being Alistair Crane behind her. Seeing no other way around it, Gwen climbed into, seating herself across from Theresa. "I don't know what you're up to, Theresa, but I have my own way to Prague. I don't need you."

"Right." Theresa snatched the airline tickets out of the lining of Gwen's purse before she could stop her. "Just as I suspected. You have to make four different connections and have over a dozen hours of layover time. Ethan will catch up to you before you even make it out of the U.S."

Gwen glared at Theresa but she couldn't think of a thing to say. That smug faced brat was right, and she knew it.

"On the other hand, the Crane jet is fully fueled, stocked, and ready to go. Straight to Prague. We'll be there before Ethan can lift a finger to stop us."

"Us? You're joking, right? I'd rather take a trip with the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm not taking your deal, Theresa. I won't give you back Jane. So just let me out and get the hell out of my way."

"Not before you look at this." Theresa said, handing Gwen a large, manila envelope. "I think it just might change your mind."

Gwen stared at her suspiciously before breaking the seal and opening the envelope. Reaching inside, she pulled out the contents, and then gasped at the glossy photograph she was holding in her hands.

"Oh my God. Sarah." Her voice was a shocked whisper.

"It's a computer generated photograph of what she might look like now. Look at that face, Gwen, and tell me you don't need my help. Tell me you won't do anything to find her."

"Sarah." Gwen traced every line of her face. "My little Sarah. My daughter." Unable to say anything else, she clutched the photograph to her chest, tears streaming down her face. "I have to have you back. I have to." It was completely silent for a moment, the only sound Gwen's quiet sobs. Finally, her chest stopped heaving and she lifted her head, her streaked face both angry and grief stricken.

"Damn you, Theresa." She inhaled deeply. "How can you do this? Look beyond yourself for a minute and what you think I did wrong. Think about Jane. Whether you like it or not, she thinks I'm her mother. She loves me. She's bonded with me. How can you say you really love her and still rip her away from the only home she knows? Don't you care what that will do to her?"

"I love her too, Gwen! She's a baby-she'll adapt. She was with me first and she adjusted to being with you. She'll adjust to being with me again. And..." Theresa swallowed hard. "I won't cut you out of her life, Gwen. I'm willing to give you visitation."

"Visitation. That's just wonderful. What a generous woman you are, St. Theresa." Gwen spat.

"Come on, Gwen, the clock is ticking. What's it going to be?"

Gwen swallowed hard, defeated and broken. "You win, you spiteful bitch, and may your blackmailing soul burn in hell. I'll sign the papers as soon as we get back in Harmony...IF Sarah is with us."

"No." Theresa shook her head. "You'll sign the papers now. I don't trust you, Gwen." Pressing a button, the partition behind them slid up to reveal two figures in the seat behind them.

Gwen gasped as she recognized Theresa's lawyer, Woody, and her own lawyer, Tom Calloway. They were bickering as bitterly as Theresa and Gwen themselves, barely taking notice of the two women.

"This agreement is immoral and just plain wrong! There is no way I'll allow my client to sign it!" Mr. Calloway barked.

"Tom, Tom, don't just sit there and whine. If Ms. Winthrop wants to sign, you must be resigned!"

"Could you stop talking like that?" Tom Calloway snapped back. "That whole rhyming speech is very, very annoying."

ahem Theresa cleared her throat and the two lawyers looked up.

"Gwen, I strongly advise you against signing this agreement." Mr. Calloway looked at his client. "You will be returning all parental rights to Theresa Crane. You will no longer have legal custody of her, and getting it back will be nearly impossible." Tom Calloway looked at Gwen beseechingly.

Gwen closed her eyes as pain pierced her heart. "is the visitation agreement in there, Tom?"

Tom nodded reluctantly. "Right here." He handed her the brief.

Gwen looked at it and then glared hatefully at Theresa. "One day a week. Eight hours with my little girl. You are unbelievable."

"It's more than you gave me, Gwen, and it's a binding contract. I won't be able to deny you seeing Jane, ever. I think I'm being more than generous."

"How can this be legal without Ethan signing it? He's Jane's father." Gwen looked bewildered.

"I can answer that." Woody leaned forward. "Right here, in this clause. If you can't convince him to sign, the agreement is null and void."

Theresa looked at Gwen. "I trust you'll be sufficiently motivated to get him to sign. Otherwise, if I've helped you to find Sarah and you renege on the contract, I'll be in a legal position to destroy you both. I'd hate to do that to you, Gwen, but I will if you make me. You want Sarah, and I want Jane. Sign the papers." She handed her a pen.

"I'll never forgive you for this, Theresa." Gwen leaned forward and shakily signed her name on the signature line.

"What else is new?" Theresa sighed. She pressed the intercom. "It's time to go, Fred."

**Lopez-Fitzgerald Residence**

Pilar stifled a yawn with her hand, tightening her robe around her as she went to answer the door. The knocking continued loudly as she approached. "What on earth..." she mumbled to herself.

"Jared!" Pilar was surprised to see an anxious looking Jared in front of her. "What are you doing here? Where is Theresa?"

Jared looked distraught at her words. "I was hoping she was here. May I come in?"

"Of course, but Theresa is not here. I thought she was with you."

Jared shook his head, looking worried. "No. I went to the office about an hour ago, just to pick up something I'd forgotten, and I found this." He held up an opened envelope with his name scrawled on it. Pilar instantly recognized her daughter's handwriting. "Obviously Tess didn't expect me to find this until tomorrow morning. It basically says she's sorry, but there was something she had to do, and I shouldn't expect her back for a while. That's it. No details, no way to reach her. And she left a lot of instructions behind, for me to settle the Stuart Allen case, a private detective report that ruins any chance of Julian ever getting custody of EJ, and a sealed copy of her will. Pilar, I don't know what's going on, but it almost sounds like she thinks there's a possibility she might not come back."

"My God." Pilar put a shaking hand over her mouth. "I had no idea...she said nothing to me!" Desperately, she looked around the room, searching for some clue Theresa might have left behind. Her eyes fell upon an envelope propped up on the kitchen table. Sprinting towards it, she barely noticed that 'Mama' was written on the front before she was tearing it open, Jared reading over her shoulder.

_"Dear Mama,_

_  
I want you to know that I thought a lot about what you said to me the other day. It hurts to admit it, but you are right, Mama. I've become someone I am not proud of. I've let winning Ethan's heart and getting back at Gwen for everything she's done consume me to the point where I've forgotten what it was like to just wake up and try to do my best every day. I do want to do the right thing for my children and be that shining example you spoke of.  
It's over. Chasing Ethan, fighting Gwen...that's all part of the past. But there is still one thing I have to do. I have to get Jane back. I'm not going to use trickery, or deception, or games to do it. I'm going to right a past wrong.  
Please understand that this is something I have to do, and don't worry. Just pray for me, and know that I am trying to become a woman that you all can be proud of. I love you. Give my love to Papa, Luis, Miguel, and Paloma as well. Kiss EJ for me and let him know I'm thinking of him, every minute. I will be home as soon as I can."_

_  
All My Love,_

_  
Theresa  
_  
"Oh, Teresita..." Pilar put a shaky hand over her heart. "What have you done?"

Jared looked pale. "Pilar, what the hell is going-" More pounding at the door disrupted his thoughts. "Let me get that." He hurried over to the door. "Theresa-" he began hopefully as he yanked it open, only to come face to face with the last person he wanted to see. "Ethan." His annoyance vanished as he saw that Ethan also held a small sheet of stationary in his hand. "You heard from her too? Where is she? Where is Theresa?"

"Theresa?" Ethan walked in the room, looking alarmed. "This is from Gwen. She's gone. She just took off somewhere. I was hoping Theresa might know where."

"Theresa's gone, Ethan." Pilar was close to tears. She handed him the letter. Ethan read it, his face whitening.

"They're together. They must be. They've gone on some crazy hunt for Sarah. My God, I can't believe this."

"Wait a second. You think Gwen and Theresa are together?" Jared shook his head in bewilderment. "Somehow, I really doubt that."

Pilar spoke. "No. I think you're right, Ethan. Theresa believes that Gwen and Ethan's daughter is alive. I think Gwen believes it, too. Theresa has convinced herself that she needs to bring Sarah back. This is all my fault! If I hadn't said the things that I said to her...oh, Ethan, I am worried that both of them are in terrible danger."

**Crane Jet**

Theresa stared out the window in wonder as the spires of Prague's ancient buildings appeared below. "Wow." She whispered, more to herself. "It's so beautiful!" She watched in awe as the Crane jet circled lower and lower. "I never even imagined what it could be like."

Gwen, seated across the aisle from Theresa, was hardly in the mood to enjoy the sights. The anger she'd felt at being forced to sign over her rights to Jane had only built over the last ten hours. '_If you like it so much, maybe you'll decide to stay here.' _She thought to herself, staring at Theresa balefully. _'How I'd love knowing you were halfway across the world from me. Yet here we are...together. I must have done something really awful in my past life to deserve this.'_

Now that they were there, Theresa was beginning to doubt her earlier confidence. 'It's so big' She thought to herself worriedly. 'Somehow, I never thought it would be so big. But this is our only lead. The person who called Gwen called from here. We have to find them, no matter what it takes.'

When the plane had come to a complete step, several men clad in black suits came in from the crew's quarters. "Mrs. Crane, here is the security detail I've organized for you two. They will accompany you everywhere." Fred, who had been recently appointed Theresa's new bodyguard, bowed his head respectfully.

"Security detail? Well, you just love to bask in your own self importance, don't you, Mrs. Crane?" Gwen said sarcastically.

"They are here for both of our benefit, Gwen. Do you think you could manage to stop complaining for once and concentrate on what's important? We're here to find Sarah, and we could use all the help we can get."

Gwen bit back an angry retort. As much as she hated to admit it, Theresa was right. Sarah was their focus now. Everything else paled in comparison.

Forty minutes later, they were out of the airport and speeding through the city in the back of yet another black limousine.

"So, where do we start?" Gwen looked at Theresa.

Theresa sighed as she stared out the window. "I have no idea."

"That's just great. After all your promises, you are just useless." Gwen's voice was a hiss.

"Well, excuse me. I'm sure you have some brilliant plan up your sleeve. After all, you were heading to Prague by yourself before I offered you my help. So let's hear it, Gwen. Let's hear the elaborate scheme that years of expensive higher education helped you cook up." Theresa snapped back. Gwen glared at her fiercely but didn't answer. "That's what I thought. You're as confused as I am. But at least we're here. This is our one solid lead. So unless you have something useful to contribute, kindly keep your mouth shut." Theresa leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. '_I'm sorry, Mama_.' She thought to herself. '_ I'm trying to control my tongue and my temper but that woman would tempt a saint to murder. This is going to be very, very hard.' _

_  
_Blessed silence filled the limousine for a few moments as Gwen and Theresa both let themselves get lost in their thoughts. Theresa chewed her lower lip as she tried to clear her exhausted mind. "Wait a second!" She pushed the intercom so she could talk to the security detail, who were seated nearer the front of the limousine. "Fred, back in Harmony, when we tried to trace Gwen's mystery caller, the only information we could come up with was that they were calling from Prague. Now that we're here, can we do some kind of reverse trace, using the phone companies here? Could that help narrow it down to a specific phone number, or at least a smaller area?"

Fred's voice was hesitant. "Perhaps, Mrs. Crane, but I'll need the information from the previous trace. We'll need to contact Harmony P.D."

"No problem." Theresa picked up her cell phone. "I'll just call Luis and-"

"Are you crazy?" Gwen knocked the phone out of her hand. "You can't call Luis! No one can know where we are, Theresa. If Ethan finds me..." She broke off. The last thing she wanted Theresa to know about was that Ethan wanted to hospitalize her. Who knew how Theresa might try to twist that to her advantage, plus it just pricked Gwen's pride, the thought of Theresa knowing just how bad things were in her marriage.

Theresa raised an eyebrow. "Gwen, Ethan can't stop us now. We're already here. I don't know what you're so worried about. Maybe he could even help."  
"No!" Gwen glared at Theresa fiercely, then realizing she'd have to come up with some sort of explanation, sighed. "Ethan just...he doesn't believe Sarah's alive. He doesn't want any part of it. I just...I don't understand why he doesn't want to bring our daughter home." Her voice trailed off as she turned away, not wanting Theresa to see how upset she was.

"It's not that he doesn't want Sarah home, Gwen. It's just...Ethan can't bring himself to hope. Sarah's death hurt him so badly. He's afraid if he allows himself to believe she might have lived, and then he can't find her, he'll lose her all over again, and he won't be able to handle the pain."

Gwen gave Theresa a look of deepest loathing. It galled her, how Theresa seemed to have that irritating insight into Ethan's every emotion. "And you just think you know him so well, don't you?"

Theresa looked calmly into Gwen's eyes. "Yes." She said simply. "I do. Anyway, I still think Luis is our best bet. I'm sure he wouldn't tell Ethan..." She sighed as she saw the doubt in Gwen's eyes. "OK, you're right. He totally would. Let me just think for a minute...wait! Fancy and Paloma! They're at the police station, doing that cadet training. They could get the information and send it to us, and I'm sure they'd be discreet."

Gwen nodded slowly. "OK. Just make sure they don't tell Ethan-not a word, Theresa."

Theresa shook her head, slightly mystified by Gwen's paranoia, and then picked up her phone and began to dial. _"This had better work_." she murmured to herself. _'We need something new to go on. This caller could be anywhere. Sarah could be anywhere. We have to narrow it down, or we'll be here for years.' She looked at Gwen. 'And frankly, I don't think I can spend another day in her company without killing her.'_

**To Be Continued...**_  
_


	16. Chapter 16

_**The Ex Factor**_

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and the two of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Cat fights and backstabbing ensue, but if they can't make peace for at least a little while, both of them just may end up dead. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're so moved, please leave me one. :)_

**At the Crane Mansion**:

Luis hurried over to the group assembled on the front lawn of the Crane Mansion, shivering a little in cold night air. "Mama." he leaned over to kiss Pilar's cold cheek. "Jared, Ethan." He continued by way of greeting. "I've already checked the place out. No sign of either one of them. I also found out that the Crane jet left the airport hours ago." He grimaced. "It was headed for Prague."

"We should have known." Ethan shook his head, disgusted with himself. "That's where that call Gwen got came from. They must be trying to find the caller. Well, that's it. I'm catching the next flight out."

"Not without me, you aren't." Jared gave Ethan a hard look.

"Hold your horses, you two. I'm going to Prague. I'm Theresa's brother, and a police officer. It's my job to find them both and figure out just what the hell is going on here. I just hope I can track down exactly where they've gone."

"Would all of you stop bickering, please? I just want my daughter home safely." Pilar closed her eyes for a moment, and sent up a silent prayer that her headstrong daughter hadn't gotten herself into something she wouldn't be able to get out of.

"Wait a second. Luis, did anyone at the airport mention a baby on that flight? Jane is gone too. I can't believe Gwen would take her somewhere she thought might be dangerous." Ethan shook his head. What the hell could his wife possibly have been thinking?

"I'm sorry, Ethan, but no one mentioned Jane. I don't know where she is." Luis began to say, but suddenly, in the distance, a baby's cry could be heard. Everyone turned their heads. The noise was coming from Sheridan's cottage. "But I've got a pretty good idea now." Luis finished as they all turned purposely in that direction.

Sheridan turned pale as she saw the group that was bursting through her door. "Um, hello! Isn't it a little late for visitors?" She stammered nervously.

"Sheridan..." Luis's eyes rested on Jane, who was nestled in Sheridan's arms. "Do you have something to tell us?"

"Um, no...why would I have something to tell you?" Sheridan's eyes widened as she tried to keep her tone innocent.

"Come on, Sheridan. Where did Theresa and Gwen go?" Ethan fixed his eyes on Sheridan firmly.

"Why would I know?" Sheridan was even more nervous at this point.

"The fact that you're holding my missing daughter is a clue. Come on, Sheridan, dumb blonde isn't a good look on you. Just tell us exactly where they went."

"First of all..." Sheridan's jaw tightened as her temper rose. "I had no idea that Theresa went anywhere. As for Gwen, I'm not telling you a thing. Not after what you tried to do to her." She gave Ethan a cold look and then deliberately turned away.

Luis, Pilar, and Jared all gave Ethan bewildered looks. "What is she talking about, Ethan?"

Ethan looked at the floor, feeling very uncomfortable. "Gwen and I had some words. She had become obsessed with this insane idea that Sarah is alive. I told her I wanted her to see a psychiatrist."

"And?" Sheridan turned back, her eyes accusing.

"And I told her I would have her hospitalized if she didn't give up the search." Ethan felt a mantle of guilt settle on him. Why had he pushed her so far?

"You did WHAT?" Luis exploded. "Good God, it's no wonder she took off, then! How could you do such a thing?"

"Well, out of all people, I thought you'd understand that, Luis." Sheridan snapped, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop them. Appalled, she turned away. Why had she gone there?

"Sheridan.." Luis's voice became gentle. "Sheridan, turn around, please."

Reluctantly she did, tears welling in her blue eyes.

"Is that why you don't want to tell us, Sheridan? Because you think Ethan's going to treat Gwen the way I treated you when you knew Marty was alive and I didn't believe you?"

Sheridan nodded mutely, trying not to cry.

"Listen to me. I have regretted that every single day of my life. I won't make the same mistake again, and Ethan should learn from my bad example. I promise you, when we find Gwen and Theresa, I'm not going to stop them. In fact, I swear I will help them, Sheridan. We just need to make sure they are safe. I shouldn't have blown them off so quickly. Maybe there is something to this. Regardless, Gwen deserves to be taken seriously. Sheridan, please tell us what you know. Please!"

Sheridan sighed. "You mean that, Luis?" Her heart leapt at his nod and relief coursed through her. "I don't know much, I'm sorry. Gwen probably knew how easily I'd crack. All I know is that she went to Prague. As far as I know, Theresa wasn't involved. I don't know how that happened."

"Well, we already know they went to Prague. There's over a million people in that city. I was hoping we could narrow it down a bit. Look, you guys, I'm going to head back to the police station and run a check of both of their credit cards. With any luck, they've checked into a hotel and we can find them that way. Then I'm getting on the next flight to Prague."

"Me too." Ethan and Jared said simultaneously, then glared at each other.

"Fine. Actually, if you two could make the arrangements, that would save me a lot of trouble. Meet me at Harmony Airport in an hour." Luis turned to leave, and then turned back, looking at his ex with sorrowful eyes. "I meant what I said, Sheridan. I've learned my lesson about not trusting a mother's instincts. I'm going to make this up to Gwen..and to you." Turning, he hurried out of the cabin.

Ethan sighed. "God, this is all my fault. I still can't believe there's anything to this, but Luis is right. I should have taken Gwen seriously...and Theresa. I should have at least had it looked into. If anything happens to either one of them, I'll never forgive myself."

"Good." Jared snapped. "Because I will personally kill you myself if a hair on Theresa's head is harmed."

**Prague: Hotel Moravia  
**  
"I can't believe we're sharing a suite. This is some kind of torture." Gwen hung up her final garment in the small closet provided.

"Believe me, I'm not thrilled about the prospect either." Theresa called from the other room. Her voice resumed its normal tone as Gwen walked into the common room to join her. "We're not going to be here long any way, though. We have a lot of searching to do."

There was a knock on the door, and Theresa hurried to open it. Fred stood there, smiling. "The security officers are waiting for you in the lobby, and I've engaged a driver to take you any where you want to go. I got the information from your friends in Harmony, so I will not be able to accompany you. I need to hunt down the local phone records and see what I can find out."

"Great, Fred, thank you." Theresa turned to Gwen. "Well, let's go."

"Go where?" Gwen looked mystified. "We don't have any other leads yet."

Theresa shrugged. "I figured we could pound the pavement and start distributing Sarah's flyer. I know it's a long shot, but it's better than doing nothing. Unless you want us to just hang out together all day. What do you say, Gwen? We could hit the spa, have our nails done, reminisce about old times..." Theresa's voice was filled with sweet sarcasm.

Gwen's mouth thinned into a narrow line. "Let's go." She snatched her purse and preceded Theresa out the door.

Theresa shook her head as she followed. "You just have no sense of humor, Gwen. Would it kill you to crack a smile every now and then?" she mumbled under her breath.

**At the Harmony Police Station:  
**  
Sam scratched his chin. "Unbelievable. So Gwen and Theresa are playing detective in Prague, and you, Jared, and Ethan are going to track them down." He shook his head. "I should have known those two wouldn't just accept that what happened to Sarah's body was a coincidence. I'm almost wondering if they're right after all."

"Me too." Luis sighed as he looked at Sam. "Well, not really. I still think it's all a terrible mix up. But what I do know is we all blew Gwen and Theresa off like neither one of them knew what they were talking about. We might as well have poured gasoline onto the fire. I'm going to help them investigate, like I should have from the start. We could have prevented all of this."

Sam nodded. "OK, Luis. I'm going to go ahead and approve the time off. You call me the minute you hear anything, OK?"

As Sam and Luis talked, Fancy and Paloma remained frozen in the corner next to the fax machine, just like they had been ever since Luis had walked in the station ten minutes ago.

"OK, Fancy." Paloma whispered. "Luis is not even looking at us. Let's just walk slowly and casually to the door..then make a break for it and run like hell before he figures out what we just did."

"OK." Fancy whispered back. "Let's go..slowly...casually...like we're not sending classified information behind his back...innocent attitude..that's it..." The two of them stepped cautiously, each step seeming like a sonic boom echoing through the police station. Just five more steps..four..three...two..

"Hold it right there!" Luis's voice boomed through the station. "Fancy...Paloma...turn around!"

Groaning silently, Fancy and Paloma turned to face Luis, each trying on her best innocent expression.

"Is there a problem, Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald?" Fancy said sweetly.

"Well, I'm just a little confused. You see, something big is going down. I'm sure you just heard me talking to Sam about it. And you two are over there, in the corner, completely silent, like you couldn't care less. Now tell me why the two nosiest, most meddlesome troublemakers in all of Harmony suddenly don't want to be right in the middle of the action. Hmmm? And what's that behind your back, Fancy?"

"Um...our training schedule, sir." Fancy kicked herself as soon as she said it. What a dumb lie. She should have told him it was the latest issue of Bridal Weekly-that would send any man running for cover.

"Really." Luis clearly wasn't buying it. "Well, I'm afraid the cadet training is suspended for the moment, as I'm going to be out of town. So hand it over so I can update it."

"Um..I can do that for you. I'd be happy to, really. You know, as part of my training!" Fancy smiled brightly.

"That's it." Luis walked over to Fancy, physically turned her around, and pried the paper from her resisting fingers. "What the hell is this? Fancy, this is a copy of the phone records I traced for Gwen...and a fax cover sheet! Who did you send this to?"

"Busted." Paloma murmured under her breath. "Damn it, Luis, why do you have to be such a good cop?"

Luis looked over the paper and to their surprise, a broad grin broke out on his face. "You sent this to Theresa and Gwen. I swear, I could kiss you both!"

Never one to overlook an opportunity, Fancy stepped forward. "Well, I wouldn't want you to deny your impulses, Sir." She pursed her lips sweetly, but to her disappointment Luis gently brushed her aside.

"OK, you two. Spill. I need to know exactly where Theresa and Gwen are."

Paloma crossed her arms, and Fancy matched her stubborn expression.

"I don't think so, Luis. Theresa made us promise not to tell you anything, and I-" Paloma began.

"Paloma, you tell me right now, or I'm-I'm going to tell Mama that you won't help me find our sister, who could be in awful, awful trouble." Luis purposely put on his most dramatic voice. "It will break Mama's heart, Paloma. You should have seen her. She was so worried, and you know she's still recovering from the shooting. But I guess she has to know that her youngest daughter won't help us." Smiling diabolically, he reached for the phone.

"Luis, you are shameless!" Paloma snapped. Looking at her brother's stubborn expression, she sighed. "Fine. Fred, that man who's in charge of Theresa's security, asked us to fax the information to the Hotel Moravia in Prague."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"' Luis leapt forward and kissed his younger sister's cheek. "I owe you!" He turned to head towards the door, only to find his way blocked.

"So Luis..." Fancy gave him an arch look. "When do we leave?"

"Oh no, no, no." Luis shook his head. "You two are NOT coming. Ethan, Jared, and I are going to have our hands full dealing with Gwen and Theresa. We don't need you two vixens causing even more trouble."

"Luis!" Paloma and Fancy both started to object at once.

"I'm not going to argue with either of you. Look, the cadet training won't resume until I get back. Why don't you two just enjoy your time off? Consider it a vacation, OK? Look, I gotta go. Try and stay out of trouble." Without even a look back, Luis was off.

Incensed, Paloma turned to Fancy. "Can you believe that? He acts like we would just mess everything up-like we only cause trouble. Of all the pig headed...Fancy, why are you smiling?"

Fancy grinned. "Oh, I was just thinking how nice a vacation sounds."

Paloma's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy? Aren't you angry at the way Luis just blew you off?"  
Fancy ignored her. "Yes..a vacation." She mused out loud. "And guess what is supposed to be just beautiful this time of year?"

Paloma grinned, catching on. "Let me think..Prague?"

Fancy grinned back. "Prague." She pulled her platinum credit card out of her pocket. "First class, all the way. Up for a little sightseeing, Paloma?"

**Prague:  
**  
"Well, this has been an incredible waste of time." Gwen snapped as she and Theresa sipped their cappucinos at the outdoor cafe. The security guards surrounded them at the other tables, resembling a flock of stern looking penguins in their dark suits.

Theresa bit her tongue in aggravation but she had to admit to herself that Gwen was right. They might as well have stayed at the hotel and hit themselves over the head with a hammer-they would have made just as much progress. Surprisingly, they hadn't had much trouble communicating with the local people of Prague-most of them spoke fair to good English, which she had not been expecting. But still, the only responses they'd gotten when they showed Sarah's flyers were looks of complete confusion and wariness. In fact, most people seemed to think that Theresa and Gwen were a special brand of insane, and they needed to back away slowly.

"It's the guards." Gwen continued. "I mean, even if someone did know something, which is highly unlikely, having this battalion of Men in Black is completely intimidating. We're not going to get anywhere with them."

"Mrs. Crane!" Theresa looked up to see Fred getting out of a taxi. He hurried over to them, a smile on his face. Theresa and Gwen's eyes both fell to the large envelope he was holding in his hands.

"Mrs. Crane, your idea worked like a charm. We were able to re run the trace using the phone company here, and listen to this. When your brother did the trace, the call came back as originating from Prague because that was the closest major metropolitian area to where it actually came from, which is a small village outside of the city, called Jesenik." His face fell. "Unfortunately, I was still unable to pinpoint a specific location, but it narrows it down."

"Are you kidding? That's fantastic!" Theresa jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around Fred enthusiastically. "You are so getting a raise! This gives us something to go on, and trying to find more clues in a small village is a whole world away from being helpless in this huge city."

Fred blushed a bright red shade, but was unable to hide his delight at being able to please his new boss.

"This is wonderful!" Gwen was beaming as well as she stood up. "Theresa, if I didn't hate you with every fiber of my being I could almost hug you right now. Let's get out of here and get to Jesenik as fast as we can. But first we have to ditch the guards. If they are intimidating people here, imagine how it will be in a rural area."

Theresa sighed. "She's right, Fred. No one will talk to us with all these guards around. Why don't all of you take the day off? We'll call you if we need anything."

"No can do, boss." Fred's face was regretful. "I wouldn't be doing the job you pay me for if I didn't watch out for the both of you. I'll dismiss the rest of the guards for today, and with your permission change into more casual clothing. I'll look like just another tourist with you two, and I can still keep you safe."

"Of course, Fred. That's a good idea. Let's just hurry-I have a feeling whatever we're going to find, it's waiting for us in Jesenik." Theresa's face with lit up with excitement.

A little over an hour later, they were in the small car Fred had rented for them, as the limo would attract too much attention, leaving the bright lights of Prague behind.

"The village is straight ahead." Fred nodded out the window as he drove. Eagerly, Gwen and Theresa looked towards their destination.

Jesenik was a world away from the world renowned beauty of Prague. Small brick buildings in varying degrees of decay dotted the landscape. Here and there local villagers walked through cobblestone streets, dressed simply, giving the car curious glances as it passed them. Clearly, the people of Jesenik were not used to visitors.

"It looks so different...so desolate." Gwen murmured softly.

"It's beautiful too, though." Theresa pointed to the surrounding forest and the majestic mountain that Jesenik was nestled at the bottom of.

Fred looked through the rearview mirror at them. "It's getting a little late. Would you like me to try find accommodations for the night?"

"No!" Theresa and Gwen both spoke at once.

"No." Theresa said again. "We may need to stay in Jesenik for a while, but most of our things are still at the Hotel Moravia. Besides, we don't want to rest, Fred. We need to find the caller as soon as possible."

"Alright then." Fred indicated a ramshackle cafe that they were fast approaching. "This looks like the local watering hole. It's probably the best place to start."

As Theresa, Gwen, and Fred exited the vehicle and headed into the cafe, a hooded figure stood frozen across the street staring at them. Bright eyes swept over the three figures, lingering the longest on Gwen's blonde figure until she disappeared from view inside the dingy building.

"You came. I knew you would. And now, all the preparations I've been putting into motion for the past five years won't go to waste. I have much to do." Hurrying, the figure moved into the brisk wind and headed down the street, disappearing into the darkness.

**To Be Continued**

I'm curious to know if anyone is actually reading this...if you are, would you let me know? Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G (also with a tiny bit of Lancy/hints of Shuis) story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and the two of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Cat fights and backstabbing ensue, but if they can't make peace for at least a little while, both of them just may end up dead. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're enjoying The Ex Factor, please leave me one. :)_

_**The Ex Factor**_

_By Ava Sinclair_

**Prague/Airport:**

"Finally!" Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as the pilot finished thanking the passengers for using their airline. "It seemed like we'd never get here."

Jared and Luis groaned and stretched. "Damn, I'm cramped." Luis yawned widely as he pulled his bag out of the overhead compartment. "These seats are way too small to spend that many hours in. Whose idea was it to ride in coach, anyway?"

Jared gave Ethan a dirty look. "Ask Winthrop. He made the reservations."

Ethan flushed. "Sorry, Luis. I didn't even think about it-I just grabbed the first three seats that were available."

Luis grinned. "You've got other things on your mind, Ethan. Don't worry about it."

"You can say that again." Ethan murmured, more to himself. He'd spent the whole flight running scenarios through his mind of what could be happening to Theresa and Gwen as he sat helplessly by. 'God, I'm an idiot.' He whispered to himself. 'How could I let everything spiral so far out of control?" He was silent as he followed Jared and Luis out into the terminal, until a loud groan from Luis broke into his reverie.

"I don't believe it!"

"What?" Jared looked curiously at Luis, wondering what had it was that had him so aggravated.

"Look at that. Of all the nerve..." Luis pointed across the terminal. Ethan and Jared looked to where he was pointing and both of their jaws dropped. Fancy and Paloma stood there, grinning, dressed to the nines, holding up a handwritten sign that said "Harmony Tour Group-Party of Five". They looked like they were enjoying themselves immensely.

Luis stormed over to them, his face thunderous. "What the hell are you two doing?"

Fancy smiled smugly. "Taking a vacation, just like you said. Why, Luis, aren't you happy to see us?"

Ethan and Jared joined them, Jared looking amused. Ethan personally couldn't have cared less if Britney Spears had gotten off the plane and decided to join them-he just wanted to find Gwen and Theresa.

"How did you get here?" Jared asked, grinning.

"On the same flight that you were on, except we were in first class. It was a wonderful flight, don't you think? With those big plush seats, the complimentary wine, and the filet mignon for dinner. I feel very rested." Paloma looked at the three tired men mischievously.

"Well, you two can enjoy your flight back home too, because you're both leaving, right now." Luis folded his arms and gave them a cold look.

"No way." Fancy's temper rose. "We're not in cadet training any more, remember? You don't get to order us around. We're here to help, so just stop being such a stubborn ass-"

"OK, OK!" Jared interjected hastily. "Luis, we don't have time for this. Maybe they can help-let them come with us."

Luis rolled his eyes heavenward. "Fine." He turned towards Paloma and Fancy. "You two will not run off, you will not play hero, you will not disobey me when I ask you to do something. Got that?"

Fancy opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she got, but Paloma stepped on her foot. "Fancy, we're in. Let's just leave it at that, ok?"  
Reluctantly, Fancy snapped her mouth closed and settled for a small nod of her head. Paloma heaved a sigh of relief.

"OK, let's get moving. Hotel Moravia is our first stop. Gwen and Theresa have almost a 24 hour head start, so we've got to move fast to catch up with them. Lord knows what they've gotten themselves into by now."

**Jesenik:**

Jesenik:

"Excuse me, Sir, I was wondering if you could please-" Gwen stood in front of an elderly man who was seated at one of the rickety cafe tables, holding out the flyer with Sarah's picture.

"No!" The man didn't even bother to look at the flyer. Giving Gwen an indignant look, he stood up, slapping some money on the table, and hobbled away.

"Well, that's it." Theresa looked around the small cafe in frustration. "No one will talk to us. In fact, we've chased just about everyone out of here. I don't get it. People in Prague brushed us off and that didn't surprise me, but here...it's almost like they're scared. They don't even want to hear a thing we have to say."

Fred looking around, a concerned look on his face. The few remaining customers and waitresses were definitely keeping their distance, shooting them looks mixed with irritation, distrust, and yes...fear. "Something is off here." Fred said. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Crane, but I don't like this. I think we should go."

"No!" Gwen's eyes filled with tears of frustration. "This was our one solid lead to find Sarah. We can't leave now! There has to be one person that can tell us something."

Theresa sighed heavily. "Gwen, no one is talking to us. We're not getting anywhere. Look, I'm not willling to give up just yet either. I think we should just go find someplace local to stay for the night, and start fresh in the morning. We'll talk to every single person in this village if we have to."

Gwen sighed, defeated. "Fine. Let's go. Maybe after we get some sleep we'll be able to come up with some new ideas."

They exited the cafe and were waiting patiently for Fred to unlock the car when quiet footsteps crunched the ground behind them. Gwen and Theresa whirled around to see one of the young waitresses from the cafe, looking at them with large, apprehensive eyes.

"You are..." she hesitated, seeming to struggle with finding the right words. "You are from America? From Harmony?"

"Yes." Gwen and Theresa looked at each other with nervous excitement and then back at the waitress.

"Did you hear us mention that inside?" Theresa asked, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible. The young woman looked terrified and like she might bolt any second.

The waitress nodded. "Yes, I hear you. And I.." she paused again, hands twisting the skirt of her simple uniform nervously.

Gwen stopped forward, putting a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. With her other hand, she pulled one of Sarah's flyers from her purse. With quiet desperation in her eyes, she spoke. "We are looking for my daughter. This little girl is my daughter. We need to find her. Can you help us?"

The girl swallowed hard as she looked at the picture, brushing a dark curl out of her eyes. "The answers you are looking for...you will find them there." She pointed a shaking finger in the opposite direction. Theresa, Gwen, and Fred all strained their eyes, trying to see where she was pointing in the evening gloom. At first, it seemed as though she was pointing into the midst of the thick, dark forest that surrounded the village, but as their eyes adjusted, they could barely make out what looked like the outline of a building, an enormous one to appear above the treetops the way it did.

"My God..what in the world is that place?" Theresa whispered in wonderment. They turned back towards the girl, but she was already backing away, "I am sorry-I can tell you nothing more." she whispered, and turning, fled back towards the building.

Gwen turned back to Theresa and Fred, her eyes huge in her pale face. "This could be it!" Her voice was barely a shocked whisper. "We need to go there...now!"

Fred shook his head. "No, not in the dark. There's not even a road there-we'd have to walk through the forest. We don't know this place and we don't have any supplies. We need to wait until morning."

Theresa was torn, knowing Fred was right and yet also understanding Gwen's eagerness to check out this new lead.

"Gwen, I get how much you want to check this out, I really do. But this is starting to feel like one of horror movie moments, you know, where everyone is the theater is screaming 'Don't do it! It's a trap!' We have to be smart about this. Fred is right, we should wait until the morning."

"To hell with that!" Gwen's voice was both anguished and furious. "I have waited five years for this. I have missed my daughter and ached to hold her in my arms every single day! There is nothing that will keep me from her for a second longer, and if you two won't come with me, I'll go by myself!" To Theresa's shock, Gwen turned and ran-straight towards the woods.

"Dammit!" Theresa groaned. "Looks like we don't have a choice." She and Fred exchanged nervous looks before hurrying after Gwen's rapidly disappearing figure.  
As the three of them disappeared into the darkness, the young waitress stepped out of the shadows, watching them sadly. When she was sure they were gone, she turned and headed towards a dilapidated pay phone outside the cafe door, dialing a number and tapping her fingers nervously.

"Yes..sir...this is Rina Schlesk, from the cafe. You said..." she hesitated as she had earlier. "You said if any of us could be of service to you, you would make it easier on our families. I have done you a service. The strangers from America, the ones you told us to watch for, they have come. There were three of them-two women and a man. I did as you asked-I sent them to you."

"Excellent, Rina." A cold voice purred on the other end. "I will be sure to prepare a very warm welcome for them." A sinister chuckle sent ripples of fear up and down Rina's spine.

"Tell no one of this, Rina, and make sure no one else speaks of our visitors either. I'm afraid they won't be heard from again."

"Yes, sir." Rina's voice was shaking. "But you promised...my family...we have almost no food, and my sister is working in your kitchens. Please sir, have mercy on us!"

"Very well, Rina. You have pleased me greatly. Your sister will be released, and I will see to it that your family survives the winter. But learn this lesson well, Rina..service to me is rewarded. Any disloyalty will be punished-severely." The line was disconnected.

Rina wiped the tears from her cheeks as she stared into the distance. "I am so sorry. I have sent you into the monster's lair. Please God, forgive me for I had no choice..."

**To Be Continued...**


	18. Chapter 18

_For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G (also with a tiny bit of Lancy/hints of Shuis) story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and the two of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Cat fights and backstabbing ensue, but if they can't make peace for at least a little while, both of them just may end up dead. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make._

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're enjoying The Ex Factor, please leave me one. :)_

_**The Ex Factor**_

_By Ava Sinclair_

**Prague: Hotel Moravia**

"No sign of them." Luis ran his hand through his dark hair in frustration. "And that uppity clerk won't even tell us what rooms they were staying in."

Ethan's expression was set in a grim mask. "We have got to find them-now!"

Jared cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, I want to find them as much as you do, OK? But I'm a little confused as to why you're bouncing off the walls. According to you, there's nothing to this, right? So all Theresa and Gwen are really doing is running around a foreign city, wasting their time. Where's the danger in that?"

"Shut up, Jared, or I will shut you up." Ethan's hands balled into fists and he stepped towards the other man, fire in his eyes.

"Hey, hey!" Luis stepped between the two men. "You two really need to knock it off, alright? You sound like the male versions of Theresa and Gwen. And Ethan, seriously, what is with you?"

Ethan allowed his fists to unclench. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"Right." Luis looked at him with frank disbelief. "There's more to it than that, and you can believe I'm going to pry it out of you sooner or later. Right now, though, we got to put our heads together and-"

"Check out Gwen and Theresa's suite?" Fancy's voice, with a decidedly smug tone, sounded behind them. The men turned to see her and Paloma grinning from ear to ear, something they seemed to be doing an awful lot of lately.

"What do you mean?" Jared looked at them. "We don't even know where their room is."

"We do now." Paloma dangled a key in front of them. "And we have full access. Thirty seconds with me and Fancy and that clerk would have danced the rhumba naked in the streeets if we asked him to."

"Great!" Luis snatched the key out of Paloma's hand. "Let's go see what the ladies left behind-maybe it will help us find them."

"Don't you have something to say to us?" Fancy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Alright, alright. Good job, you guys." Luis sighed heavily. "OK, let's go."

A few minutes later, they were inside Gwen and Theresa's suite, looking through suitcases, drawers, and closets, desperately trying to find a clue.

"Any luck?" Jared called from the common room.

"None here!" Luis called as he dumped out the contents of Gwen's suitcase on her bed. "C'mon, there's gotta be something."

Ethan stood by himself in the small room that Theresa had apparently claimed for herself. Her perfume still lingered in the air. He closed his eyes and for a moment it seemed like she was there, right beside him..all he had to do was reach out... He opened his eyes and reality set back in. Gwen and Theresa were gone. He had no idea where they were, what they were doing, and it was his fault. His wife hadn't been able to rely on him when she needed him desperately, and Theresa...well, he'd made a career out of letting her down.

Shaking off his thoughts, he picked up Theresa's suitcase, pulling out clothing and scattering them haphazardly on the floor as he searched. "Nothing...dammit!"'

Ethan kicked the suitcase and it banged into the wall. Standing up, he walked over to the closet and wrenched open the closet door, wanting to tear it off the wall, feeling the desire to tear the entire suite apart and scream his anger and confusion to the sky.

There was nothing in the closet except a garment bag and one of Theresa's sweaters. Reaching out, he caressed the soft material. Here, her scent lingered as well, so strong that it seemed she had just taken off the garment and hung it up. Pulling the sweater off the hanger, Ethan buried his face in it for a moment. "All I want is a chance...just one chance, Theresa, to tell you how sorry I am that I didn't trust you. I just have this feeling in my gut...something is wrong, very wrong. And if anything happens to you, or Gwen, I don't think I can live with myself."

He tossed the sweater on top of Theresa's other possesions, frustration getting the best of him. As the sweater landed, a crumpled ball of paper fell out of the pocked, rolling a few feet and coming to rest right by Ethan's foot. Kneeling down, he unfolded it, surprised to see his own name scrawled at the top. Sitting down on the bed, he began to read.

A few minutes later, Luis walked into the room. "Ethan, we didn't..Ethan?"

Ethan was still sitting on the corner of the bed, the letter clenched in his fists, his hands on the back of his neck as he stared at the ground. He looked up at Luis's words and the other man saw there were tears in his eyes.

"Ethan, what's going on? What's that?" he gestured to the letter in the younger man's fist.

Ethan shook his head, seeming unable to speak for a moment. "Something that changes everything."

**The Forest of Jesenik:  
**  
"Gwen, could you slow down?" Theresa asked as she stumbled over a tree root. "I can't see a damn thing-I'd rather not break my ankle trying to get to...well, wherever it is that we're going."

Gwen gave Theresa a look that clearly indicated she didn't care what Theresa might break. "I have to get there, Theresa. I need to find my daughter."  
Theresa rolled her eyes. "Yes, I got that the first thirty times you said it." she snapped.

"Be quiet, both of you." Fred's voice was suddenly firm, authoriative. Theresa looked at him in surprise. Her mild mannered bodyguard had never spoken to her in such a fashion before. She opened her mouth to question him when she saw the alarm in his eyes. "Fred?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

Fred looked around, his handing reaching for his gun holster. "There's someone here." He listened for a moment and his eyes widened. "More than one someone."  
Theresa and Gwen could hear it now too as they stood there, almost too frightened to breathe. It was very subtle but there..the faint crunch of slow footsteps, the occasional snapping of a twig as a foot came down on it.

Fred turned slowly in a circle. "They are all around us. Listen to me. I need you both to follow my every instruction, do you understand?" His voice was barely audible.

Both women nodded. "Alright-" Fred started to say but suddenly there was a shockingly loud crack and something whizzed by them and slammed into a nearby tree. Theresa and Gwen screamed.

"They're shooting at us!" Fred cried. "Both of you, get-" Another loud crack echoed through the woods and Fred staggered, clutching his chest. He stared at them for a moment, his eyes wide with shock, then almost in slow motion, he fell towards the ground.

"Fred!" Theresa cried. Falling to the ground beside him, she and Gwen rolled him over desperately. "Fred?" Her voice shook as she frantically felt for a pulse. Nothing. She waved her hand over his mouth, hoping to feel his breath, but there was nothing there either. She didn't want to believe it, but Fred's eyes, open yet empty, staring up at her, told the tale.

"My God, Gwen...he's dead!"

Gwen was shaking all over from the shock, but she forced herself to her feet. "And we're going to be dead too if we don't keep moving."

"I've-I've got to get his gun." Theresa's teeth chattered in her head as she felt frantically on the ground for the weapon. "Dammit, I can't see-"

BOOM! Another bullet slammed into the tree next to her.

"Theresa! Run!" Gwen screamed. Theresa jumped to her feet and the two women began to move, stumbling over rocks and tree roots, adrenaline coursing through them as they fled for their lives. Bullets followed them through the darkness, but it seemed that either their attackers couldn't see any better than they could, or they were just lousy shots. It seemed like they'd been running forever when suddenly, their tree cover disappeared. They had come to some sort of clearing.

Ducking, the women took cover behind one of the last remaining trees as they tried to get their bearings. "I haven't heard any shots for a few minutes." Theresa whispered. "I think we lost them."

"Look!" Gwen pointed straight ahead.

Theresa looked, and her eyes widened. "That's it-that's where the waitress told us to go!" Across the clearing, the building stood, lit up by moonlight. It was a grand, imposing structure, made of stone, and shockingly out of place in the desolate forest. It looked nothing like any of the buildings they'd seen in the tiny village of Jesenik.

"What the hell is that place?" Theresa whispered.

"I don't know." Gwen shook her head. "I think it's supposed to be a house but it looks more like a small castle."

"Or a fortress. Look!" It was Theresa's turn to point. Several men were emerging from other parts of the forest, and as they came to the building other men emerged from the doorway to meet them. All of them were dressed alike-in some kind of bizarre uniform, the likes of which no woman had ever seen. The pants were dark and billowy, and the brightly colored tunics hung long, down to their hips. The ensemble was topped off with long, filmy scarves and elaborate helmets. The whole effect was as if the costumes from Arabian Nights had mated with the clothing of Medieval Times. If their clothing was old fashioned and outlandish, their weaponry was not. Each man had a strap of ammunition on him, a gun holster-and each was holding a high powered rifle.

"Well, I guess we know who shot at us." Theresa looked at Gwen, her eyes wide. "Gwen, I don't think we're going to make it out of this one."

"OK." Gwen whispered as their eyes watched the gathering men fearfully. "I think it's clear. If we move fast and stay low, I think we can make to the side of the building without anyone seeing us."

"What?" Theresa snapped. "Tell me again why you want to run towards the badly dressed soldiers who are trying to kill us?"

"My daughter could be in there." Gwen muttered through clenched teeth. "Nothing is going to keep me away from her. Now, if you want to take your chances back in the forest, I'd be delighted to be rid of you. But I'm going-now!"

"Fine..I'm going." Theresa sighed. "On the count of three...one, two...go!"

The two women would have made an odd picture to anyone looking, trying to stay as close to the ground as they could, struggling to move as fast as they could in pumps and expensive clothing not meant for extensive physical activity. Luck was on their side though, and they made it to the side of the building before anyone spotted them.

"I can't believe we made it!" Theresa panted as she leaned against the wall.

"Sshh!" Gwen put a warning finger to her lips. "Listen!"

"Imbeciles!" They heard a harsh male voice cry. "My orders were to bring them all back here, unharmed! We don't kill our guests until we find out what they know, remember? Now, not only have you already shot one of them, you can't even find his body so that we may dispose of it...AND you let the women escape! Are you all good for nothing?"

Cautiously, Gwen and Theresa peered around the corner at the speaker. The man's impressively tall frame was dressed identically to the other men, the only difference being the small silver crest attached to his chest. His accent was not of the local region; instead he spoke with a distinctive Irish brogue, which probably explained why he was speaking in English and not one of the more common languages of the area.

"But sir...that forest was pitch black! We got turned around in the dark. The body is insignificant-I'll send some men for it when it becomes light. In the meantime, we are still searching the woods for the women." The other man spoke with a mixture of fear and defiance. Even in the darkness, Theresa and Gwen could see the first man's expression harden.

"We? I see a whole flock of worthless men who are standing around doing nothing! Get back to the forest, all of you and do not return until you find the body-and the women! Bring them back to me unharmed-our master has plans for them and you don't want to displease him, do you?" The man stared coldly at the assembled group.

Again, the second man stepped forward, his face argumentative. "But sir, we are supposed to be guarding the entrances!"

"GO!" Their leader roared, and this time there was no argument. The men backed away nervously, then turning, ran off towards the darkened woods without a backwards glanced. Their leader made an angry, scoffing noise before he turned and walked back into the stone manor.

"Did you hear that?" Gwen turned to Theresa, her face excited. "The entrances are unguarded-this is our chance!"

Theresa opened her mouth to object, then snapped it back shut. As much as she didn't want to go into that terrifying stone deathtrap, there was no other options. The woods were full of trigger happy lackeys, searching for them. There was no way to get past them undetected and get help. Despite the ancient look of the building before them, she had to believe that they had a phone or something inside, some way for them to summon help.

"OK. Let's go for it." Slowly the two of them crept towards the entrance. '_I just hope we're prepared for whatever's inside_.' Theresa murmured to herself.

**TBC**...  
_coming soon-the Harmony search party finally gets a lead on Gwen and Theresa. Meanwhile, the contents of Theresa's letter sends Ethan into an emotional tailspin.  
Theresa and Gwen make it inside the mysterious manor-but when Theresa accidentally makes a revelation to Gwen, the mother of all cat fights ensues. Will they be able to pull it together for Sarah's sake, or will their hatred for each other doom them all?_


	19. Chapter 19

The Ex Factor

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)_

_I love reviews. If you're enjoying The Ex Factor, please leave me one. :)_

**Prague**:

It was a woebegone group of people who were gathered in the restaurant area of the Hotel Moravia, comparing notes.

"We've got nothing." Luis sighed. "Sam ran their credit cards for me back in Harmony, which took a while, let me tell you...those two are like the Visa queens. Anyway, Theresa took out a large amount of cash, which means she's not leaving a paper trail of where she's going." He looked downcast. "I gotta tell you all...I'm stumped. I have no idea where they went, but they haven't been back to the hotel, and something tells me we shouldn't expect them any time soon."

Ethan stared into the contents of his glass, saying nothing. He kept replaying the words of Theresa's letter, over and over...'I wrecked everything. Everything I ever wanted, everything that is important to me, I'm either destroying it now or it's lost to me already.' He thought morosely, and then reached out to toss the liquor down his throat.

Luis watched him worriedly. Ethan had refused to tell him just what it was in Theresa's letter that had him so thrown. "Hey, Ethan, don't you think it's a little early for the hard stuff?"

"It's too late." Ethan mumbled. "For everything."

"Pity train, party of one, now boarding." Jared snapped. "Whatever it is, get over it. We don't have time to babysit a drunk." he stood up, ignoring Ethan's glare. "I can't just sit here. Let's go-I don't know where to look but I know we have to try."

As the group got to their feet, Fancy put a comforting hand on Ethan's arm. "We're going to find them, OK? And when we do...Ethan, you've got to work this out with Theresa and Gwen." She whispered in a low tone. "Because this whole being married to one woman and being in love with another-it's not working. You can't go on like this. It's killing you all."

"Believe me, I know. When we find them, this all ends. I'm putting a stop to this charade, once and for all. I have to."

As the five walked through the restaurant to the exit, a man in a stern looking suit nearly bumped into them as he clutched several full shot glasses in his hand. "Watch it!" The man laughed and spoke at the same time, clearly drunk. He brushed past them, on his way back to a table full of similiarly suited men. "OK, everyone!" They heard him yell. "Let's raise a toast to our generous boss, who brought us all to this woooonderful city and gave us the day off with pay. To Mrs. Alistair Crane!"

"To Mrs. Alistair Crane!" The rest of the men echoed.

The five of them stood frozen, exchanging shocked looks. Then as one, they turned around and ran toward the drunk. Luis grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet. "What did you just say?"

"Hey, hands off the merchandise!" The man slurred. His friends had jumped to their feet as well, spoiling for a fight.

Ethan grabbed the man closest to him and pulled him to his feet as well. "Tell us where Theresa and Gwen went, right now, or I swear to God-"

"Hey!" Paloma pulled Ethan away. "Take a pill, already!" She turned to the man with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry for the overabundance of testosterone in these two. We overheard what you said. Theresa is my sister, and we haven't been able to find her. Do you know where she is?"

The man looked at her suspiciously but didn't speak. Then another man stepped forward, looking at Luis hard. Suddenly his face cleared and he broke into a grin. "Luis! How are you, man?" He slapped the man on the back. Luis grinned back. "Jason, it's good to see you. I'd forgotten that you took that job with Crane Security!"

Jason shrugged. "Beats the police force pay. Anyway, we did come here with your sister. We were supposed to guard her and Gwen Winthrop, of all people. Never would have believed those two would vacation together, believe me. But this morning the boss lady told us they didn't need us anymore. They took off with our head of security to check out some village."

"What village?" Everyone asked at once.

Jason frowned as he tried to remember. "Um...Jen..no Jer..."

"Jesenik, you idiot!" Another one of men said, and then burst into another fit of drunken laughter.

"Thank you!" Luis grinned. "Ok , you guys, Jesenik here we come!"

He looked back at Jason as he started to walk away. "Two words, Jace...designated driver!" He grinned.

Jason waved a wobbly hand. "We'll get a taxi, Luis, don't worry. Hey everyone, let's drink another toast...to the taxi driver! May we not throw up in a foreign cab!"

"Boy, those guys were having a good time." Jared grinned as they stood on the corner, trying to hail a cab of their own.

"You're awfully chipper for someone whose girlfriend is missing." Ethan snapped.

Fancy, Paloma, and Luis all rolled their eyes. "Can I hit him? Please?" Paloma whispered to them.

"Are you slow or something?" Jared snapped back. "She's not missing. She's in Jesenik with her head of security watching out for her. They're fine, Ethan, so unbunch your panties and relax. We'll catch up with them soon."

Ethan started to reply but Luis grabbed him roughly and pushed him into the cab. "Knock it off, Ethan, I'm warning you because the more you talk the more I really do want to hit you."

Ethan just shook his head as he stared at the window. "I hope you're all right, I really do." he said quietly. "Because I keep getting this feeling in my gut that something is going down - something bad."

**Jesenik: Manor **

"That was close-too close!" Theresa put a hand over her heart as she stage whispered to Gwen. "I can't believe that head guard or whatever he is didn't catch us. We nearly ran into him!"  
"Well, he didn't, and we're in." Gwen was unable to hide her excitement as she looked around the small room they had ducked into. "The person who called me had to be calling from here. I can't believe it's just a coincidence. I'm going to find them, and I'm going to find my daughter."

"We're going to find Sarah, Sherlock. Together. So just settle down, OK? Let's not do anything stupid and get caught." Theresa looked around. "This looks like some kind of library or something. There's no phone or anything. I don't think we'll find what we need in here."

"It doesn't look like it's used much, either."Â Gwen ran her hands over the desk and frowned on the dust that appeared on her fingertips.

"Well, that's a good thing, actually. Means no one is likely to wander in and find us."

"I'm not staying here, Theresa. I need to find Sarah. I'm going to check out some of the other rooms." Gwen moved towards the door but Theresa grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, Gwen! Now listen-we are in serious trouble here. We have no weapons of any kind, I dropped my purse with my cell in it somewhere in the woods, and we are very outnumbered. What we need to do is find a phone somewhere and get help."

"You find a phone!"Â Gwen snapped. "I'm going to find my daughter." She moved again towards the door and Theresa hurried to block her.

" We can't just go wandering around here! Those guards will find you before you've even turned a corner, and then we're both dead. How much help can you be to Sarah then? I know you want to find her, but you can't let that desire totally unhinge you. Be rational."

"Don't you dare patronize me like I'm crazy! You sound like Ethan." Gwen snapped and regretted it the minute the words were out of her mouth.

Theresa looked surprised. "Ethan would never say something like that to you."

Gwen kept her mouth firmly shut and looked at the ground, furious with herself for that slip of the tongue.

Theresa's eyes widened.Â "Is that why you were so determined that Ethan not know where we were? Did he say something like he thinks you're...I don't know..delusional or something?"

"Yes, well I'm sure you find that hilarious, Theresa. Go ahead, laugh it up. Ethan thinks I'm crazier than a bedbug because I believe Sarah's alive. Must be a dream come true for you." Gwen spat bitterly.

"I don't think that's funny." Theresa frowned. "It's...kinda horrible, actually."

"Oh please, Theresa, no fake sympathy from you. It's turning my stomach."

"No, really, Gwen...I mean, I knew he was upset from what he said that night on the pier but I never imagined he was that much in denial." Theresa shook her head.

Gwen whirled around to face her. "What night on the pier?" Her voice was soft-dangerously soft, and her eyes flashed angrily.

"Um..." Theresa instantly realized her mistake. "You know, we ran into each other the other night, just had a brief, brief chat, and went our separate ways. No big deal."

"Really."Â Gwen's hands were on her hips. "And during this brief, casual little chat he just took a second or two to completely bare his soul to you about Sarah, is that it?"

Theresa scratched her head. "Hmmhmm." She mumbled, hoping Gwen would accept her non answer and let it go.

"I see." Gwen's voice was even lower now. "Just one more thing, Theresa...exactly what night did you have this talk?"

"Um... I can't exactly remember." Theresa backed away towards the door. "You know, maybe we should check out the rest of the-"

Gwen's fingers closed around Theresa's arms and she yanked her back. "Would it happen to be the night that Ethan left me crying in our living room? The same night that I went to your house and waited for you for HOURS? And stupid me-I just assumed that Ethan had gone back to the office and you were out with Jared. But you weren't, were you? YOU WERE WITH MY HUSBAND!"

"Gwen..." Theresa held out up her hands in a beseeching fashion. "We just talked, that's all. He was very upset."

"Upset? UPSET?! _ I _was very upset that night, Theresa! I needed him so badly and he left me, to be with you! Damn you to hell!" Gwen advanced towards her, her fists clenched.

"Gwen, stop, OK? I am not interested in getting into this with you now! We have more important things to do!"

At Theresa's words, Gwen hesitated, but her eyes still burned angrily. "Just tell me, Theresa...look me in the eyes and tell me now. Have you been seeing my husband behind my back? Have you-"Â Gwen swallowed hard, thinking over the past months..how distant Ethan had been since Rome, all the late nights working, all the times she couldn't find him, all the times that Theresa had conveniently disappeared at the same time.

"Have you been sleeping with my husband, Theresa?"

Theresa swallowed hard before answering, and the pause was enough to tell Gwen more than she ever wanted to know.

"You _bitch_. You lying, scheming, baby killing, husband stealing bitch." Gwen's voice was murderous.

"OK, that's it!" Theresa had lost all patience with Gwen's insults. "First of all, I didn't kill Sarah. That's why we're here, remember? Because she's alive! Second of all, you stole Ethan from me in a low, shameless little scheme of your own. As for what Ethan and I have done, it takes two to tango, and you better believe your husband was ready to dance!"

SMACK! Theresa's words were cut off by the blow to her face. Gasping, she touched her cheek gingerly, and then lifted her head to stare hotly into Gwen's eyes.

"Alright, I've taken enough from you! I have tried to be nice and I have tried to help you but there's only so much I can take. You either back off right now or-"

"Or what?!"Â Gwen challenged, coming closer to Theresa.

"Or it's on, and I will take you down the way I've been dying to for YEARS!" Theresa returned Gwen's angry stare, feeling her Mexican-Irish temper reach the boiling point.

"Oh, you can bet it's on!" Gwen reached out and grabbed a decorate vase off the desk, smashing the end off to make a jagged weapon. "_BECAUSE I AM GOING TO KILL YOU_!"

Reacting quickly, Theresa threw herself at Gwen. They both fell to the ground and the vase flew out of Gwen's hand, hitting the wall and shattering into a thousand pieces. Both of them jumped to their feet, breathing heavily and staring at each other with daggers in their eyes. Gwen glanced at her broken weapon in disgust.  
"I didn't need that to beat you, Theresa. I've got all I need right here." She balled up her hand. "Fist, meet face-it's been too long!"

The resulting blow knocked Theresa back into the wall. Stunned for a moment, she was barely able to move aside fast enough as Gwen ran at her, her face twisted in rage. Missing her target, Gwen was knocked off balance herself and fell to the floor again. Before she could get up Theresa was on her, grabbing her blond hair and using it to drag Gwen to her feet.

"Payback's a bitch, Gwen. Face, meet desk!" She slammed Gwen's face into the desktop, hard. Gwen groaned and dropped to her knees on the floor, seeming unable to move for a moment as she gasped for breath.

"Had enough, Gwen?" Theresa was out of breath herself.

"Not as long as you're still breathing!" Gwen hissed and launched herself at Theresa's legs. Both of them were on the ground again, tearing out hair, scratching eyes and pummeling every part of each other they could reach. Theresa finally managed to pin Gwen beneath her and she pulled back her fist, ready to deliver the finishing punch, when her clenched hand was suddenly grabbed from behind.

Gwen and Theresa froze in place as their eyes met that of the head guard-and ten of his men, surrounding them, smiling coldly.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies."Â The leader grinned wickedly at them.Â "But we were hoping we might have a word with you."

There was no use in fighting anymore-plus it was hard to do with a burly man on either side of each of them, and their arms pinned behind their backs. Gwen and Theresa were frogmarched through dark corridors and down a narrow, stone staircase, to a barren basement below.

Theresa tensed, fear rippling down her back as she saw the barred cell waiting for them. "A dungeon...perfect. Just perfect."

"In you go." The leader unlocked the door and shoved Gwen inside, then Theresa after. He looked back at his men. "You're dismissed. I can take the little hellcats from here." As the other men trooped back up the stairs, he looked through the bars at Gwen and Theresa. "Well, aren't you a pretty pair? And feisty too." His eyes, a startling shade of blue,swept over them. "I was hoping you'd give us a little bit more trouble, to be honest. It's been quite boring around here these days."

Gwen nudged Theresa. "Theresa, go!" She whispered hoarsely.

Theresa looked at her in amazement. "Go where?"

Gwen looked at the man, then back at Theresa. "Go do what you do best, Theresa. Charm him, seduce him, I don't care! Just get us the hell out of here!" her voice was an angry whisper.

Theres gave Gwen an icy glare, then looked back at the man with a sigh. Well, it was worth a try. Approaching the bars, she adopted a seductive tone. "So you've been...lonely?" She let her fingers caress the bars gently, inching closer and closer to him. "If you want to open the door, I'll see what I can do about that."

He came closer to her, close enough for her to see the long strands of dark blond hair escaping from his helmet. "Is that so, little one?"Â he smiled back her like the cat that had caught a canary, and ran a finger over her cheek. "It's a tempting offer you make me." Suddenly, he pushed her back. Startled, she fell hard on the dirt floor. "Sorry, sweetheart, but I've been around far too long to fall for that one." He turned toward the stairs, then looked back. His eyes met Gwen's and to her surprise, she felt a jolt of electricity race up and down her spine."Of course, if you'd been the one to try that, I might have gone for it." He gave her a wicked grin.

"Get some rest, ladies, because interrogations begin in the morning. Fun for me, not so much for you. Oh, and if you decide to fight again, let me know. I can bring you a couple of string bikinis and a bottle of oil and we'll have a party!" Laughing, he ascended the staircase and disappeared from view.

Theresa sat up, and then pulled herself against the brick wall, her knees pressed against her chest. Gwen stood across the cell, leaning against the bars, her face a mask of despair. Neither one of them said anything, but Theresa knew what Gwen was feeling, because she was feeling it herself.

They had blown it-they had lost their chance to find Sarah.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Jesenik: The Dungeon**_

The minutes ticked by, and still neither Theresa nor Gwen said a word, just sat in excruciating silence.

Theresa stood up, her head still throbbing from the fight with Gwen, and began pacing back and forth.

"Stop it." Gwen's voice was flat. "It's driving me mad."

Theresa stopped and leaned her own head on the bars. "We're incredibly stupid."

"I think you mean you're-" Gwen started to snap back.

"No, Gwen! I mean we! As in both of us! We both screwed this up, badly. Take some responsibility for once!"

Gwen just sat there, her face grim, not responding. Theresa resumed pacing for a moment more than stopped. "I can't take this anymore, Gwen. I'm done with this. I am so over this little game we've been playing for years."

Gwen looked up. "And what does that mean?" Her voice was sarcastic. "That you expect me to just drop dead so you can have everything you've ever wanted? Have you not taken enough? I lost Sarah fighting with you. I pray that she's not dead, but I never would have thought she was if it hadn't been for that fall. Then I lost my ability to have children. Then you promised me a baby, Theresa-you promised me! And I believed you! I was so grateful to you...I forgave you everything. I thought you were giving me the greatest gift anyone could. But you never, ever intended for me to have that baby, did you? Even if you hadn't thought you miscarried my embryo, you weren't ever going to turn that child over to me, were you?" She walked closer to Theresa, looking into her pale face. "Were you, Theresa? Answer me!"

"No, I wouldn't have!" Theresa shouted. "After what you did to me, Gwen...when you had EJ taken from me, I hated you so much. You did that out of malice and you can sit there and deny it all you want. Don't waste your breath, ok? I'm not saying this to get an admission out of you-I'm making a simple statement of fact. You lost Sarah, you blamed me, and you took EJ out of revenge, so that I would feel the same pain. You know I wasn't an unfit mother-don't shake your head!"

Theresa couldn't stop. It was like she'd been waiting years to say all the things that were coming out of her mouth in droves. "Look me in the eyes, Gwen, and tell me you didn't know EJ was happy with me. Wait-don't even bother. You know in your heart that you made an innocent boy a pawn of your revenge scheme. You tore him out of a loving home and away from his mother, you listened to him cry for me, and YOU DIDN'T CARE. Was it worth it, Gwen? Do you sleep well at night?'

'Because you know what? I don't. I don't because I know the mistakes I made. I know that I was horrible to you because I was eaten up with hatred, like a cancer that was rotting me from the inside out. I know I did things that I am ashamed of, and I'm going to say something to you that I'll bet you never thought I'd say. I'm sorry, Gwen. I really am. I can't ever forget what you did to me, and I can't make you be sorry in return. I can't make you apologize. I can't make you change. But I can change myself, and from now, it's over. I will not sink to that level again and tell myself it's all ok in the name of love. I want my children to be proud of me. I want to be an example for them. But what about you, Gwen? Can you admit what you've done, or are you going to spend the rest of your life blaming me? You've done such vicious things-you've hurt innocent people. You've hurt Ethan, purposely, and I didn't force you to do it. You made that choice all on your own."

"You started this all, Theresa. You started it the day you took Ethan from me."

"Oh, stop!" Theresa screamed in frustration. "Ethan fell in love with me, OK? You may not like it, you may try to convince yourself he was manipulated into it, but if that's all it was, then why, after all these years, does he still love me, Gwen? If it was all based on a lie, why can't he let me go? Why do you have to work so hard to keep him? Because he's like a restless dog on a leash and you know if you let go, even for a second, he'll disappear. Tell me you're happy living like that. Please, tell me that, Gwen-I could use a good laugh right now."

Gwen's voice shook. "Shut up, Theresa. Just shut up!"

"No! I'm not going to shut up, Gwen. You and I need to have this out, right now. If you'd like, we can slap each other around again-it'll save the guards the trouble. Or we can get this off our chest, for once and for all."

"Oh please! Are you really expecting me to have a heart to heart with you, Theresa? In the last few days you've taken my daughter and now I find you've taken my husband. My other child is gone and I may never find her again. I have nothing left for you to take, Theresa, for God's sakes just leave me alone."

"Gwen." Theresa walked over to her. "Aren't you hearing what I'm saying? I don't want to take anything from you. I don't want to play games with you anymore. Jane is my daughter, and I'm taking her home, but you're still in her life. I can't say I'm happy about that, but I signed a legal document committing myself to it. As for Ethan, I'm done. I admit it-I slept with him. We had an affair. And you know what? It's not what I want, and I've finally realized that I'm never going to have what I want. You've got it, Gwen and it's on the third finger of your hand. You've won. So why aren't you happy?"

'_Because he doesn't love me_.' Gwen didn't say it out loud, but it was there, the bitter knowledge that she could no longer ignore. _'He doesn't love me. I will always be second best. Theresa could move to Mars and Ethan would never, ever look at me the way he looks at her. God, I'm so sick of this, so sick of it all_.' His face flashed before her and she wanted to hit him, so badly her fingernails dug into her palms. She began to pace the floor as Theresa had a moment before. Images flashed before her eyes, the same ones that haunted her dreams at night. She had done so many things-spiteful, cruel things. She had sacrificed everything to keep her husband...everything, including her own dignity, morals, and self worth.

Theresa began to speak again. "Gwen, please let this hatred go. I am asking you for our children's sake. I'm asking you for Jane. We are both going to be in her life, and I won't pull her between us anymore. Look where all this fighting has got us! We're in a cell instead of out finding Sarah! And Fred, what about him? He was a good man, with a family. What am I supposed to tell his wife and his children, if I ever even get out of here? Should I say 'oh sorry, your husband died protecting us, but we were too busy fighting to even complete the mission that he sacrificed his life for?'" Theresa broke off, exhausted. "Gwen, are you even listening?"

Gwen didn't turn around, just continued facing the wall. "I can never forgive you for all you've done to me, Theresa."

Finally, she did move, looking at Theresa. "But you're right. I've had enough of this. It's destroying my life. I have done things..." she couldn't bring herself to say she was sorry, but she forced herself to continue. "I regret some of the things that I have done. I never wanted to hurt EJ. You may not believe this, but I love that little boy." Tears filled her eyes. "And he's probably going to grow up thinking I'm some kind of monster."

"Maybe not." Theresa folded her arms. "Not if we making fools of ourselves the way we have for the past several years. We'll never be friends, Gwen. I can barely stand looking at you, to be honest. But right now, all we have is each other. Ethan is not going to come bursting through that door to rescue us. We are on our own, and Sarah is depending on us. The way I see it, we have to work together, or we might as well give up. So what do you say? Partners?" She held out her hand out to Gwen, who stared at it for a moment like it was some sort of dangerous snake, then finally...reached out and took it.

"Partners." she said, with some rleluctance in her voice. There was a pause, then Gwen sighed. "Well, that was awkward. Plus I'm still damn sore from that face plant. Where did you learn to fight like that, the barrio?" she raised an eyebrow in Theresa's direction, smiling sweetly.

"Nice to know I can always count on you for a politically correct insult, Gwen." Theresa rolled her eyes and then tentatively touched her aching jaw. "Anyway, they sure didn't teach you to hit like that in finishing school. I think you dislocated something." She sighed and flopped down on one of the small cots. "Look, I think we should get some sleep. Neither one of us has had rest in almost forty eight hours and we need to be on top of our game. When the guards come tomorrow, we have to be prepared. We've got to figure out some way to get past them and escape."

"Theresa, Theresa, dreaming again." Gwen folded her arms and sat down on the other cot. Seeing Theresa's angry look, she sighed. "I guess it's the best chance we've got. We have to try." Laying back, she put her throbbing head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

**Later:**

A figure crept slowly down the stairs, looking through the bars into the gloomy cell. Cold eyes swept over the sleeping women, taking in every curve. A sadistic grin lit up his face. "_Niiiiice_. This is going to be fun - for me, anyway." Reaching down, he pulled a key off of his key ring and began to unlock the cell door.

Theresa's eyes snapped open and for a minute she was completely thrown as she took in her surroundings. Then it all came back to here..the trip to Prague, Jesenik, the fight with Gwen..their capture. She sat up, wondering what it was that had awakened her, and then her heart nearly stopped as she saw the leering man in front of her. It was one of the guards, the one they'd seen outside, arguing with the leader on the steps. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gwen sit up on her cot, looking equally panicked.

"Wh-what do you want?" Theresa asked hoarsely.

The man smiled a cruel smile, then licked his lips.

"Eeny, meeny, miney...mo." He pointed back and forth between them, and then stopped, his finger pointing at Theresa. "Lucky girl." Reaching out, he grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. Theresa struggled desperately and Gwen jumped up.

"What are you doing? Let her go!"

The man shoved Gwen aside roughly. "Sorry, not your turn. But you can watch." He pulled Theresa, still struggling, out of the cell, slamming the door behind him and turning the key in the lock. She took advantage of that small distraction to kick him as hard as she could. He grunted in surprise and let go of her abruptly. Theresa turned to run but the man grabbed her by her long black hair and yanked her back. She screamed in pain and he backhanded her, hitting her so hard she fell back against the bars and then heavily to the ground.

Gwen watched helplessly as the guard pulled Theresa over onto her back and then straddled her, tearing at her clothes.

"No, God! Please, no!" Theresa's fingers scratched desperately at the man's face and neck, anywhere she could get a decent hold. Irritated by her struggles, he put a hand around her neck, cutting off the oxygen just enough so that the struggle to breathe was all that she could maintain. She knew that trick well...it was a favorite of Alistair's when he wanted her to hold still. The terrible memories washed over her as she struggled to stay conscious, the memory of the night Alistair had first raped her..the pain he had caused her..the terrible shame she had felt...

On the other side of bars, little to Theresa's knowledge, Gwen was reliving the same night. The night she had stood outside Alistair's door and listened to Theresa scream in agony and beg for help. The night she'd become a monster...

Gwen shook her head as she watched the scene unfold before her. '_Not again, dammit-I won't stand by and watch_!" Frantically she threw everything she could find at the guard, small rocks on the ground, even her shoe. She might as well have thrown paper streamers at him for all the good that it did. He didn't even appear to notice. Gwen knelt down and reached out, stretching desperately, farther and farther...if she could just reach him maybe she could distract him somehow...her fingers caught the end of the filmy scarf he wore draped around his neck and suddenly she had an idea. Reaching out with her other hand, she stretched frantically until she caught the opposite end, then pulled with all of her strength, feeling a rush of adrenaline like she never had before. The guard was forced upwards, slamming against the bars back first, as Gwen pulled the scarf as tightly as she could. The guard choked and sputtered, turning purple as he slowly strangled. Gwen pulled harder. "Pass out, you bastard!" Gwen hissed. Suddenly, though there was a flash of silver-the guard had pulled a knife out his pocket. Gwen tried to tighten the scarf, hoping to disable him, but he reached up and cut himself free.

"Theresa! Run!" Gwen screamed as the guard got to his feet.

"Bitch!" He reached through the bars and grabbed her, pulling her forward, deliberately smacking her face first into the iron bars. She saw stars for a moment, dizzily stumblling backwards.

At Gwen's cry, Theresa jumped up, shaking and terrified. She saw Gwen hit the bars, saw her fall...then saw the knife where the guard had dropped it on the ground. Without a thought, she reached down and picked it up. The guard turned to grab her, and instinctively she drove the knife into his chest.  
Theresa and Gwen both watched in shock as the guard's mouth opened. He grunted, looking down at the protruding knife in shock, then began to stumble in a slow circle. Then finally, he swayed and collapsed in front of the cell.

"Oh my God." Theresa fell to her knees then pulled herself back, huddling against the wall. "Oh my God." Tears streaked down her cheeks, then as shock set in she became more and more numb.

"Theresa!" Gwen banged on the bars. "Get his keys-let me out!"

There was no response. Theresa just sat there, white as a sheet, slowly rocking herself back and forth, eyes fixed on the guard's body.

"Theresa!!" Gwen banged again. Giving up, she once again kneeled down and stretched her hand towards the guard, finally pulling his key from his bloodspattered pants. Standing up, she hurriedly unlocked the cell door.  
"

Theresa! Get up, we have to go!" There was still no response. Theresa stared straight ahead, eyes fixed on something only she could see.

Gwen resisted the strong temptation to smack the other woman silly. "Fine then, Theresa." she stood up. "Just sit there and rot. Meanwhile, I'm going to get Sarah, then get the hell out of here and back to Harmony, where it looks like I'm going to have Ethan, Jane, and even EJ all to myself. Have a nice life." She started towards the staircase.

"Like hell you will!" Theresa croaked. Shakily, she got to her feet.

Gwen smiled. "And she's back-the Theresa I know and hate."

The two of them just looked at other for a moment, knowing that what just happened would forever burn in both of their memories. Then Theresa looked back at the guard. "I killed him." she whispered. "I actually killed someone. I never wanted to be a murderer."

Gwen scoffed loudly. "Have you forgotten what you tried to do to Alistair?"

Theresa looked up, some color returning to her face. She actually managed a small, if shaky smile. "That wasn't murder-that was a public service."

"Yeah, well so was this." Gwen looked at the would be rapist in disgust. "I doubt anyone's going to miss him. And like you said, we're in this together. We both had a hand in it, and you don't see me going to Planet Guilt, do you? Now let's get the hell out of here before any one else shows up."

"Oh, it's a little late for that." Both women whipped around, to find the head guard staring at them. They backed away nervously as he approached, then watched apprehensively as he approached the guard's body. He looked at it for a long moment, then looked back up at him.

"You're right, you know. He had it coming. Besides, that's one less guard for me to take care of." He flashed a brilliant grin at them. "Now ladies, I believe we have some escaping to do, don't you?"

**To Be Continued**


	21. Chapter 21

_The Ex Factor_

_This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. If you're enjoying it, please let me know!_

**Jesenik-The Village**

"This Jesenik." The taxi driver stopped on the narrow road, between several ramshackle building. He tapped his fingers on top of his meter impatiently. "Pay me."

Paloma shot the man an annoyed look as the five of them disentangled themselves. "Please, he should pay _us_." She muttered. "Forty five minutes squished together in this tiny taxi and I feel closer to you all then I ever wanted to be. Plus he smells like sh-"

"Here." Luis struggled to his feet and walked over to the driver's side, handing him some bills through the window. The driver looked at the money in disgust and didn't take it. "That U.S. money! I don't take it! Pay me now!"

"Look, you can exchange it." Luis was irritated as well. "Just take it, I'm giving you a nice tip."

"I don't exchange! Read sign! Local currency only!" The man threw the money back in Luis's face. "I drive you to police-that what I do!"

"I'll handle this." Fancy leaned into the driver's window, and a flash of silver caught his eye. Seeing the platinum credit card in her hand, his face lit up.

"Is this good?" she purred, letting him take a good look at her cleavage while she leaned over.

"Is good-very good!" The driver took the card. "You still tip, yes?"

"No!" Luis started to snap but Fancy pushed him away. "Yes, big tip." She was amused at the way he seemed more turned on by the credit card then her.

The driver finished filling out the receipts. "Goodbye-I go now." He looked around the small village with a look of apprehension. "Hate this place." he muttered under his breath. "Probably no one ever see you all again."

"What did you say?" Fancy asked as she took back the card.

"No, no, I say nothing." The taxi driver shook his head. "Thanks for tip." He drove away, watching them in the rearview mirror. "American suckers!"

Jared looked around. "Well, this is definitely not Prague. This place looks pretty small. It shouldn't be hard to find Gwen and Theresa-I'm sure any new faces stick out for the locals. Let's start asking around."

"How about there?" Ethan pointed to a small building up ahead. "Looks like some sort of cafe."

Nodding in agreement, the five of them headed towards the small building.

Rina looked up from the counter as the group walked in. Her mouth opened in surprise. More strangers? So soon? A lost tourist or two a year was all Jesenik was likely to see normally-it wasn't big on the list of places to see in the Czech Republic. Rina's heart started pounding hard as she remembered last night, when she had sent those poor people right into the trap she knew was waiting for them. _'I had to_.'Â she thought to herself. _'My sister was in that awful place_. _I did what I had to do to get her back. I owed those people nothing_.' Still the guilt gnawed at her heart. _'Just forget_.' she told herself sternly. '_Just forget they ever existed. This is a coincidence, nothing more. These people are just lost, or misdirected. They will be gone soon_.' Picking up the stained coffeepot, she walked into the dining room to start refilling coffee cups.

Inside the cafe, the five of them immediately spread out, moving over the room, talking to the first people they could see.

"Excuse me." Luis stopped a couple who were walking out the door. "We're looking for two women, and a man - the first woman is tall, blond, and-"

The couple exchanged terrified glances and then the man pulled at his wife's sleeve, tugging her through the doorway without a word.  
'_OK...maybe they don't speak English_.' Luis thought to himself, puzzled. He stopped before an older looking man who was sitting on a cracked barstool, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the local paper. "Excuse me, sir, but have you seen any strangers come through here lately? We're looking for three-"

"Get away from me!" The man barked, folding up his paper and sliding off the stool.

_'What the hell is going on here?' _ Luis's guard shot up and the hair on the back of his neck crackled. For the first time, he began to feel fear. There was something to this - something way more than his runaway sister and her rival on a wild goose chase. Something was not right -_ really _not right.

Across the room, Ethan wasn't have any more luck, and he was feeling more and more frustrated. As an older, harried looking waitress tried to pass him blocked her way. "Ma'am, please, have you seen two women come in here? One blonde, and one with long, dair hair? They would have been with a man-"

The waitress gave him a cold look. "No! Move, please."Â She indicated the tray full of food in her hands.

Ethan felt his temper rise. "No, not until you give me a real answer. Look - look at these." He dug his wallet out of his pants and opened it. "See this blond woman? She was here, in Jesenik. This is my wife. And this here-" He dug out the picture of Theresa that he had hidden in the back of all the other pictures.."This is.." _'My everything' _were the words on his lips, but he didn't say them. "Look, they are both very, very important to me, and they're missing. I think they may be in danger. _Please_ help me."

Behind them a loud crash sounded. Ethan looked behind the waitress to see another one, a far younger female, staring at him with haunted eyes. The crash had come from the coffeepot that had slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

"Rina!" The older waitress snapped and began to chide the girl in a language Ethan didn't understand.

The girl's face was stark white and she didn't seem to be listening. "Sorry..an accident." she whispered, her eyes still fixed on Ethan's face. Then turning, she fled back into the kitchen.

Rina was close to tears as she pushed open the back door and ran down the back steps of the cafe, ignoring the angry shouts of the other workers behind her. The owner would be furious with her for leaving so early, but he wouldn't fire her. Not in Jesenik, where good help was hard to find. So she would just go..go home and see her sister, and remind herself why she had done what she did.

As she started down the path, wiping her tear filled eyes, an arm suddenly came around her waist and lifted her off her feet. She started to scream but a hand quickly covered her mouth.

"Rina, is it?" A voice whispered into her ear. "I'm Ethan. I think we need to have a little chat."

**Jesenik: The Dungeon**

Theresa and Gwen stared at the man, then back at each other, both barely believing what they had just heard.

"Excuse me? Did you just say...escape?"

"As a matter of fact, I did, and I've gone to quite a bit of trouble to arrange it. Shall we?" He offered a gentlemanly arm to Gwen, but withdrew it gracefully when she just stared at him. "Wait a second. You captured us, you locked us up, and you threatened to interrogate us! Why should we trust you now?"

"Well, I had to capture you. You didn't give me a choice, really, with all the noise you two were making. And after all I did to make sure you two would get inside in the first place, sending the guards to the forest, pretending not to notice your less than graceful entrance... Of course, the thrilling sight of you two rolling around on the floor makes up for a lot of it. I wasn't kidding about those bikinis and the oil, you know."

"But why-" Gwen began again, but Theresa cut her off.

"Gwen, have you ever heard the one about looking a gift horse in the mouth? Let's go already!" She moved towards the staircase but a sudden wave of dizziness made her stumble. Their rescuer stepped to her side, grabbing her before she could fall. "Are you alright, little one?" He smoothed a lock of her hair from her face.

"Did he hurt you badly?"

"No." Theresa shook her head, looking back at the dead guard with a shudder. "No, Gwen stopped him. And then I.." she couldn't continue.

He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. "You did what you had to do. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, Theresa Lopez Fitzgerald Crane."

Gwen gasped. "How do you know her name?"

"I know yours too, Gwen Hotchkiss Winthrop." He released Theresa and went to stand before her, his eyes fixed on hers. "I know all about you. And I knew you'd come, sooner or later. Although I must admit, I expected you to be with your husband, not with Theresa. It was quite an unexpected sight to see you two together."

Gwen looked down. "Ethan's not..I mean he.." her eyes filled with unexpected tears.

Gently, the man touched her face, lifting her chin so he could look in her eyes. "It's alright, Gwen. You don't have to explain." His voice was a caressing whisper and Gwen just stared back for a moment, mesmerized by the blue of his eyes.

ahem Theresa coughed. "Escape now, swoon later, yes?"

"Of course." The man stepped back. "Just let me introduce myself first. My name is Kieran Brady." He shook both of their hands formally. "Now let's get out of here. There's someone who's been waiting to see you for a long, long time, Gwen."

Gwen suddenly felt weak in the knees. "Sarah? You know where Sarah is? She's here, after all?" she could scarcely dare to believe it, afraid if she did the fragile dream would shatter and she'd wake in her own bed, heart broken and with empty arms. Suddenly another realization hit her, and she looked at Kieran with wide eyes. "It was _you_ that called me, wasn't it? You who told me to come and find Sarah!"

Kieran nodded, smiling. "Took you long enough, didn't it? Now come - I have much to tell you and we need to get Sarah out of here before it's too late."

Gwen's pulse throbbed in her ears as she followed Kieran up the stairs. 'Oh, God, please let it be true. Please let me see my daughter again-let me take her out of this place.'

Quietly, Theresa and Gwen crept behind Kieran as he walked cautiously, eyes moving constantly from left to right. He seemed to be taking them through a maze of corridors, twisting and turning until both women were sure they'd never be able to find their way back to the front entrance without him.

Gwen watched Kieran nervously as they moved in silence. Something about him told her she could trust him - and more. Something about the way his eyes would flick to her and stare with such intensity every few minutes made warmth spread throughout her body. But still, she couldn't let go of her wariness. What if she and Theresa were playing right into his hands? What if this was another trap?

'_But then_,' The newly awakened Voice of Common Sense whispered in her head, _'why wouldn't he have just left you in that dungeon, where the two of you were already helpless and at his mercy?' _ Gwen breathed a sigh of relief as that thought occurred to her. Kieran was telling the truth, and that meant - tears of joy sprang to her eyes as she realized it. Sarah was **alive. ** She really was. All of the grieving, confusion, plotting, planning, fighting for her life, making amends with Theresa, it was not in vain. Her daughter was alive! She wanted to sing with happiness, and skip through the corridors, but that pesky Voice of Common Sense was back, telling her that probably wasn't such a good idea. Probably would blow the whole being stealthy thing right out of the water.

"Kieran?" Theresa whispered. He looked down at her enquiringly. "Where are all the guards?Â The place was crawling with them earlier."

"Oh well.."Â Kieran attempted to look innocent, a look that was doomed to failure. "We don't have to worry about them."

"Are you sure?"Â Gwen burst out, looking up, panicked.

From the opposite end of the corridor, one had just appeared, stumbling towards them. Gwen braced herself, ready to run or fight, but Kieran put a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's OK, Gwen...watch."

The man came closer, and as he did, they noticed his face was flushed and his eyes were unfocused. He took another staggering step, peering blearily at Kieran. "Kier, man, I think something's-" Not finishing the sentence, he suddenly plummented forward and lay still on the floor. Both Gwen and Theresa gasped in shock.Â

"Oh my God, what did you do?Â Poison him?" Gwen gasped.

Kieran shook his head, chuckling. "Of course not. I drugged them. _All_ of them. I laced our morning oatmeal. The entire guard ate it, as well as the rest of the servants. With luck, the majority of the residents here are sleeping like babies."

"The majority?" Theresa asked, her voice worried.

Kieran's face darkened. "The _master's_ meals are prepared specially in his own private kitchen. He and his personal servants remain immune, I'm afraid."

"The master?" Gwen and Theresa both said at once, noting the loathing with which he said the term.

"In here."Â Kieran suddenly stopped before a wooden door that looked identical to the fifty or so that they'd passed already. He looked up and down the corridor, then hurriedly unlocked it. "Come in, quickly." Theresa and Gwen hurried inside, and he came in after them.

Gwen looked around the room in wonder. The rest of the place looked like some kind of castle from the 1500's, but this room represented the modern era in a big way. Stacks of television monitors were grouped on a large table and on the shelves all around the room were crammed what looked like every single modern device known to mankind.

"This is where I found the voice modifier I used when I called you, Gwen." Kieran was speaking normally now that they were safely out of the corridors.

"You terrified me." Gwen said softly.

"I'm sorry." Reaching out, he took her hand. "I didn't know what to do. I was getting desperate. I couldn't contact the authorities. They've been paid off too many times to ignore the events in Jesenik. I didn't have enough money to pay off everyone I would need to myself to get Sarah across the border, even if I got her out of here in the first place. I thought if I called you, just as me, and told you the story, you'd do what any normal person would do and turn to your local police. They would call the FBI, who would get a hold of the authorities here, and since, like I said, they're all corrupt, nothing would have come of it. So I disguised my voice and left you that cryptic message, because I knew your mother's instincts wouldn't let it go. And I was right, wasn't I?" He touched her hair gently. "You are an amazing woman, Gwen."

She felt her cheeks turn scarlet as Kieran's heated gaze ran over her. Gwen couldn't remember the last time Ethan had looked at her with that fire in his eyes, the fire that told her he wanted nothing more then to throw her down and... Shaking off the too vivid picture, she forced her mind to focus on what he was saying.

"Kieran, please, tell me what's going on. Who has my daughter? Where is she?"

"I'll show you."Â Kieran turned towards the monitors and flipped a switch. Both Theresa and Gwen gasped as the screens came to life, showing a series of pictures, all different angles of the same small room. And there, on the middle screen, was a wrought iron bed with a small figure sitting in the middle, clutching a little rag doll.

**Sarah**.


	22. Chapter 22

**Jesenik-Observation Room**

Theresa's hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the small figure on the monitor, but that was nothing compared to Gwen's reaction.

"Oh, Sarah!" her face crumpled as she began to sob and her shaking fingers touched the screen almost fearfully, staring hard at the flickering black and white images. "Sarah-is it really her? Please tell me, Kieran, please tell me it's her and she's ok!"

Kieran nodded, his own eyes emotional. "It's her, Gwen. Look at her. She's fine. See, she's playing."

"Oh, Sarah." Tears streamed down Gwen's face. "Where is she?"

"She's in another wing of the house, one floor above us." Kieran's voice was gentle.

"I want to go to her, right now!" Gwen moved towards the door but Kieran carefully pulled her back.

"I do too, Gwen, but we must be careful. I want to see if her nanny is asleep yet. If she's not, that cold bitch will raise the alarm before you ever get close to her. Just be patient for a few minutes, alright?" He pressed a few buttons, switching the view. "There she is." His face hardened as he stared at a stern faced woman, who was sitting in a chair a few feet away from Sarah. "Damn, she's still awake." As they watched, the woman put a hand on her head for a moment, looking disoriented. Her eyes opened and closed as she struggled to keep her head up. Kieran's face cleared. "Good-she ate the oatmeal. The drug is affecting her now-I give it fifteen minutes max before she's flat on the floor. Then we will go get Sarah and get out of here. I trust you two will be able to arrange our passage once we get to Prague."

"Yes, of course-" Theresa started to say but Gwen pushed her aside, and standing directly in front of Kieran, spoke.

"Enough stalling, enough polite talk. Who the hell is the monster who ripped my daughter out of my arms when she was minutes old? What have they done to her?"

Kieran sighed, looking reluctant to begin the tale, but when Gwen's eyes flashed angrily, he began to speak. "Have either of you ever heard of a French billionaire by the name of Claude Moreau?"

Theresa and Gwen exchanged quizzical looks, then shook their heads, and Kieran continued speaking.

"Moreau, like many excessively rich men, developed certain unsavory quirks, and depended on his money and power to avoid responsibility for his actions. That stopped working when he seduced and then discarded the teenage daughter of a high ranking French politician. Believe me, that's a very polite phrase for what he did to that poor girl. He was run out of France, and went into hiding. Ten years ago, he came here, to Jesenik. At first, the local people thought he was their savior. Jesenik has always been a desperately poor place, and Moreau swept in llike a fairy godparent, buying all the property, showering the townsfolks with cash and big promises. He bought all of the land that their houses stood on, but promised them that they would be allowed to stay, renting their homes from him at a low rent. It was all a lie. Moreau bought everything that these people depended on to live, the farmland, the grocery stores, the doctor's office, the school, then he showed just how he was going to use his power. If someone displeased him, they came home to find their doors boarded up, their livestock gone, every possession missing. The stores wouldn't sell to them. The doctor wouldn't treat them. The school turned away their children. When the people complained, the local authorities turned a deaf ear. Moreau was giving them a great deal of money to turn the other cheek. It got worse from there. Moreau started making his interest in some of the local girls known. He coerced families to send their daughters to work at this godforsaken manor he had built. The girls were subject to horrendous working conditions, little food, abuse by the guards, but that was nothing compared to the girls who were singled out for Moreau's special attentions."

Kieran turned to look Gwen and Theresa in the face, his eyes stark. "In ten years, Claude has had six wives. All local girls. Every single one of them is dead now, except one. She escaped, as far as we know."

A gasp escaped from Gwen. "Oh my God-he killed them all?"

Kieran sighed. "Two of them he did, through constant abuse. Two of them killed themselves to escape him. One of them died in childbirth, and her child with her. Claude had refused to let her be treated during her pregnancy, because he believed the child wasn't his. The last one stabbed him, and got away, unless she died somewhere in the woods, which is entirely possible. There was a massive blizzard at the time she left, but we never found her body. Sadly, the stab wound was minor, and that degenerate bastard lived." He looked at Gwen. "Now we get to you..and Ethan...and Sarah."

Gwen's face was a mask of horror. "What could we possibly have to do with a madman like that? My God, he sounds worse than Alistair, and I never thought such a thing was possible!"

"Yes, well, Alistair Crane comes into play here too, Gwen. You see, several years ago, Claude decided his lack of success with women was because they were all flawed. In his mind, his wives all came from inferior peasant stock, and that's why they always ended up disappointing him. He wanted to try an experiment. He wanted to know what would happen if he handpicked his next wife. Not only would she be of the perfect breeding, with the appropriate pedigree, but he would groom her, from her very birth. She would be trained all her life to please him in every single way. It would be her life's goal, her only desire. She would never know that there could be more to her life. And on her eighteenth birthday, she would be presented to him, the perfect gift. And yet, how would he obtain this perfect specimen? What person of class, breeding, and money, would be willing to arrange to transfer an innocent, newborn baby girl to such a vile, disgusting demon?"

"Alistair." Theresa's voice was a whisper. "Alistair arranged to sell Sarah to this Claude Moreau, didn't he?" She was more shocked, more horrified then she'd ever been in her life. "Oh my God. I knew he was awful-I knew he was a monster-but this? This is beyond evil...this is-"

Her words were cut off by Gwen, who had stood there, shaking, wanting to vomit as Kieran's words penetrated her brain. "My baby? Alistair stole my baby and sold her, for money, to that evil, foul...no, Kieran, please no, tell me it's not true! Oh my God, what has he done to my baby? What has he done to her?"

"Gwen, please, calm down. I know it's horrible, believe me. I have been desperate to get Sarah out of here since I first discovered her existence. But listen to me. Claude has not touched her. He has not even spoken to her. He has no interest in children whatsoever. Right now she's an experiment to him, and a rather boring one at that. It's when she gets older that the real danger begins. So far, she has been treated with what he thinks is kindness. She's watched constantly by an assortment of nannies who give her just enough affection so that she's not completely starved for it. She has toys to play with, and she's allowed to play outside for one hour every day. But she has no friends. She doesn't go to school, although she has tutors to teach her everything Claude thinks she should know, so that he may converse with her when she becomes of age. And she doesn't have her parents."

A single tear slipped down Kieran's cheek. "It's no kind of life for a child. I found this out four and a half years ago. I left Ireland as soon as I was old enough to pay my own way. I wanted to see the world, and I'd seen a great deal of it by the time I came here. I ended up in Jesenik because I'd been broke, working odd jobs in Prague when someone told me about an opportunity to work as a guard for this eccentric rich man. Turns out that's much too kind a word to describe him. Sarah's existence was a closely guarded secret, even in the manor, but her first nursemaid was a local girl, and a compassionate one. She loved Sarah, and thought Claude's plans for her were atrocious. The nursemaid, Marie, and I were rather...close." For a moment the wicked spark was back in his eyes.

"She told me about Sarah, and brought me to see her in secret. The minute I saw that beautiful baby girl, the minute her tiny fingers closed around mine, I knew I had to help her." He exhaled heavily, lost in his memories for a moment. "For the couple of years, I had no idea where she'd come from. So I worked very hard at making myself very valuable to Claude. I did things...horrible things. Things I will regret forever. I tried to help the villagers when I could, but I had to keep up the pretense of being Claude Moreau's most vicious lieutenant. If he'd ever had any idea that I even knew about Sarah, he wouldn't have hesitated to have me killed. When I gained his trust, I also gained access to his information. It took me a long time, but I finally figured out how to get into his private files. That's when I found out who Sarah was, and how I found out about you, Gwen. Since then, I have clipped every newspaper clipping I could about you and Ethan. I wanted to be able to tell Sarah about her parents."

"What?" Gwen stared at him in shock. "Sarah..she knows about us?"

Kieran nodded. "She does, Gwen, and she's very anxious to be reunited with you." He looked back at the monitor. "Look at that. The nanny has nodded off. It's time, Gwen. Let's go get your daughter."

**Jesenik-The Village**

Ethan lifted the young woman off her feet and carried her, hand still over her mouth, into a grove of trees, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground.

"Where are they?" His face was grim.

Rina jumped to her feet, brushing the dirt off her skirt and trying to hide her fright. "I am sorry-I don't know what you are meaning."  
"

I think you know exactly what I mean. I saw your face in the cafe. You know something, and you're going to tell me, right now!"  
"Ethan!" Luis, Paloma, Jared, and Fancy came running up behind him.

Paloma looked at the waitress's frightened face and then back to Ethan in shock. "What the hell are you doing, Ethan?"

Ethan turned to the rest of them, gritting his teeth in frustration that they had interrupted them. "Look, she knows something about Gwen and Theresa, alright? She overheard me talking about them in the cafe and you should have seen her face. She knows what happened to them."

Luis moved in front of Rina, looking at her closely. "Is that true? Do you know where my sister is?"

The word 'sister' hit Rina hard. It had been so much easier when she hadn't had to think of the three strangers as people, but now she had to face the realization that they were someone's sister, someone's daughter, maybe even someone's mother...and now they were probably dead. Because of her. She began to shake, standing there. Was she a monster too...just as bad as that hideous man that had taken her own sister from them?

Fancy watched the emotions on the young girl's face, feeling a sharp pang of pity for her. "You guys, look at her. She's scared to death. Stop crowding her like that, you're terrifying her!"

"I don't care if she's scared!" Ethan's hands clenched. "I think we've all figured out that something is wrong here. Something has happened to Theresa and Gwen and we don't have time to waste here!"

As he spoke, Rina struggled to bring her own emotions under control. There was only one thing she could do - one thing she had to do. She needed to open her mouth, and send these people the same way she'd sent the others. They would be gone, out of her way, Claude would be pleased, and no one would have to know...

The five of them watched as the waitress's face crumpled and she began to sob. "I cannot...I'm so sorry..I can't do it again..." Crying hysterically, she put her hands over her face. "I am sorry...I am so sorry...but you don't know what he would do to us. You don't know what we have suffered! That monster had my sister and I had no choice...no choice!"

Fancy put a sympathetic arm around the girl. "It's ok..it's ok. Whatever it is, you can tell us. We'll protect you, I promise."

"No!" Rina shook her head. "No one can protect us! You don't know what he would do to my family-please, don't make me tell you. They are all I have and they will be hurt-please, just go away! Just leave Jesenik and don't look back-please!"

Paloma stepped forward. "We can't leave! You say you want to protect your sister. Well, one of these people we are looking for is MY sister. Mine and his." She indicated Luis. "The other one is his wife." She pointed to Ethan. " They are our family. Isn't that important? What if it were yours-what would you do?"

Rina wiped her eyes. "It's too late." She whispered. "I am sorry. Your people - they are dead."

"What?" Ethan suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe-like a giant hand had come and cut off his oxygen supply, squeezing his chest.

"No!" Luis jumped forward and grabbed Rina, shaking her. "What are you saying?"

"I sent them to him!" Rina cried. "I sent them to a madman. He told me they wouldn't be heard from again. I-I-" She couldn't go on. Sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, she fell to the ground. "_There_." she pointed into the forest. "They went there. And if you go there, he'll kill you too."

The five of them stared at each other, each pair of eyes mirroring the shock of the next. Then Fancy got to her knees next to Rina. "OK, you need to tell us everything. Right now. And then..." she looked up at the rest of the group.

"Then we're going." Jared said, his voice rough with emotion. "And if what you say is true, I'm going to kill someone myself."

**Jesenik-Moreau Manor**

**The Reunion**

A strange numbness settled over Gwen as she followed Kieran and Theresa up the staircase and down another long, winding corridor. It was self protection, she supposed, because she still couldn't get over the feeling that if she pinched herself, she would wake up. Even after seeing Sarah on the monitor, it was still hard to believe. Her baby girl was alive-the child she thought she'd buried five years ago. How could she believe in such a miracle? It was almost too painful to think about it too long-all she could do was keep walking, keep breathing...waiting. Waiting for the dream to become a reality.

Kieran stopped suddenly before an expanse of empty wall. Theresa and Gwen looked at him, puzzled.

"Why are we stopping, Kieran?" Theresa whispered. "Do you hear something?"

"No." Kieran smiled. "We're here."

"What? It's just a wall!" Gwen looked at it, frustrated. She just wanted to hold her daughter, so badly she could almost scream with longing.

"No." Kieran shook his head. "It's not. Her rooms are disguised. But wait-as you know, Sarah is under constant surveillance. Moreau has his own monitors in his wing of the house. Luckily, the camera angle doesn't quite reach the doorway, so I can open it and not be seen. Sarah and I have a pre-arranged signal. When I am able to see her, I open her door and she shows no reaction, no nothing. She makes some reason to come towards the doorway...sometimes she throws a ball and then goes to get it, sometimes she pretends she is playing hide and seek with herself. She's a very intelligent girl. I'm telling you this because I need you to stay back, behind me, and remain absolutely silent. Sarah will come to us. Do you understand what I am saying?" He waited for their nods. "Good. As soon as she comes to me, we must hurry." Turning back towards the seemingly blank wall, he put his hands on it, seeming to know exactly where to press. Theresa and Gwen gasped as the wall slid back to reveal a door where it had previously been concealed. He gave them a warning look and put a finger to his lips, then slowly and oh so quietly, he unlocked the door.

At first Gwen and Theresa weren't able to see around him, and Gwen nearly screamed with frustration. But then, peering between Kieran and the doorway, she saw her...and the world stopped. She was so beautiful...Sarah looked very much like the photograph Theresa had done, except that her hair was golden brown instead of blond-Ethan's hair.

Sarah looked up at the sound of the door opening. Both Gwen and Theresa could see how carefully the child monitored her own reactions, being sure to not look up abruptly or seem surprised. Instead, she turned her head slowly, casually, and her eyes met Kieran's. He winked at her. She waited a moment and then slowly got off her bed, looking cautiously at her nanny, and then made her way to the door. Her face was blank, emotionless, and her steps slow-until she got out of camera range. Then a bright smile lit up the child's face and she flung herself into Kieran's arms.

"Kieran, Nanny fell asleep and she won't wake." she said in perfect but accented English. She didn't seem too bothered by her nanny's state, Theresa noticed with an amused smile.

"That's alright." Kieran whispered huskily. "Do you have Charlotte with you, Sarah?"

"Yes." she nodded, indicating the doll in her hands.

"Good." Kieran grinned at the girl as he hoisted her into his arms. "Because I am going to introduce you and Charlotte to someone very special." Carrying Sarah out of the room, he nudged Theresa and Gwen ahead of him back into the corridor. Sarah just now noticed the two women, and her eyes widened.

"Look, Sarah." Kieran turned towards Gwen, still holding the child. "This is your mommy. She came for you, just like I told you she would."

Sarah's eyes melt Gwen's and she studied her carefully, taking in every inch of her. Gwen couldn't move, couldn't breathe, terrified of shattering the moment. Then the little girl reached out her small hand and touched Gwen's face. "Hi Mommy. You look just like your pictures."

The dam broke and Gwen's heart cracked opened as she reached for her daughter. "Oh, Sarah!" she buried her face in her daughter's hair as she tried to muffle her sobs. "I have missed you so very, very much! I am so happy to have you back." She stroked her daughter's hair as happiness washed over her, the likes of which she'd never felt before. "Oh thank you God, for this miracle! Thank you so much!" Her eyes met Kieran's. "And thank you, Kieran. I could never repay you for what you've done for us in a million years. Thank God for you."

As Theresa watched the reunion of mother and child, her own eyes filled with tears that overflowed down her face. She gave a watery sniff, and Gwen looked over at her.

"And thank you too, Theresa. I couldn't have found her without you." Gwen's voice was quiet as she looked into the eyes of the woman who up until this moment, had been her worst enemy.

Theresa nodded, wiping her eyes and smiling, and Sarah turned to her. "Who are you?" she asked curiously. "Are you my mommy's friend?"

Theresa and Gwen both laughed shakily. Looking into the child's trusting eyes, Theresa couldn't bring herself to tell a blatant lie, so she dodged the question. "I'm YOUR friend, Sarah. My name is Theresa, and boy, am I happy to see you."

"Hello, Theresa." Sarah gave her a mischievous smile and then laid her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Alright, ladies. I wish we had more time to talk, but we must go. Sarah, you remembered that I told you someday I'd take you out of here, don't you?"

Sarah nodded, turning her lovely light green eyes to Kieran. "Yes. You said Mommy would come and she did. And you said I must be very quiet, and we would go far away. Can we go now, Kieran? I want to be with my mommy, and you, and Theresa too. I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Yes, sweetheart." Gwen hugged her daughter tightly, answering for Kieran. "We are going far away, all of us, right now." '_And heaven help the person who tries to stop us.' _She whispered to herself as they began the long walk back down the corridor._ 'Because I will take on an army if I have to in order to get my daughter out of this hellhole.'  
_

**Coming soon-Kieran, Gwen, Theresa, and Sarah try to escape the manor - but someone has other plans.**


	23. Chapter 23

The Ex Factor

**Jesenik-Moreau Manor**

"So far, so good." Kieran murmured. They'd made it down three floors so far, with not a guard in sight. Theresa began to feel some of her apprehension ease as they kept moving. They were going to make it...they were actually going to escape, with Sarah. She began to smile to herself, imagining the looks on everyone's face when they made it back to Harmony-especially Ethan's. And she would have Jane...she'd wake up every morning and her daughter would be there, back in her arms, the way she was supposed to be. She, EJ, and Jane would be a family. It wasn't the family she dreamed of with Ethan, but it was all she needed, because Ethan was just a far away fantasy that dissolved every time she tried to reach out and touch it.

Speaking of fantasies...Theresa cast a sidelong look at Kieran. Sure enough, his eyes were fastened on Gwen. An amused smile lit up her face. It seemed ridiculous now, all those things she'd tried to break Ethan and Gwen up, and all she really should have done was call Rent A Man and hooked her rival up. She'd seen enough of the looks Gwen had given Kieran in return to know that she definitely wasn't immune to the Irish man's charms.

"Gwen.." she stage whispered as they walked. Gwen looked at her enquiringly, and Theresa continued, unable to resist. "You know, I think our new friend has a little crush on you."

Sure enough, Gwen turned scarlet, the color blooming on her normally pale face and spreading down her neck. Theresa bit her lip to keep from laughing and Gwen gave her a stern look. "He does _not_, Theresa. He's just...very helpful." Gwen whispered back, giving Theresa a 'shut up' glare, as she adjusted Sarah, who'd fallen asleep with her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Actually, I do." Kieran was obviously not ashamed of his blatant eavesdropping. "I thought I'd been rather obvious about it." He gave her another one of those roguish grins he seemed to have an endless supply of, and Gwen blushed even more.

"That's very flattering, Kieran." she said, trying to keep her voice quiet as they kept moving. "But I'm married."

Theresa rolled her eyes and Kieran looked at her before looking back at Gwen.

"I'm aware of that, Gwen. I know all about your...husband." And his voice indicated that he did indeed know more than Gwen was probably comfortable with.

Suddenly, Kieran held his hand up to stop them.

"Ok, now." he whispered. "Now this is where it gets tricky, because we are going to go through a hall full of what I hope are sleeping guards. If anything goes-ugh!" Kieran suddenly gasped and choked, and reached down to grab his leg.

"Kieran, what is it?" Gwen gasped.

Kieran fell to the floor hard, as Theresa and Gwen stared in horror. He struggled to rise then fell again, staring up at them, his eyes desperate. "G-go...run!" he said hoarsely.

Sarah, who'd snapped awake, stared down at him worriedly. "Kieran, what's wrong? Get up!"

"Sorry, sweetheart. I'm afraid that won't be possible." A cold voice came from behind them. Gwen and Theresa spun around to see an older, white haired man looking at them coldly as he lowered what looked like some kind of dart gun.

"Well, well, unexpected guests. And so impolite to drop in and then try to leave without even greeting your host."

Gwen felt her heart sink into her shoes as she looked at the man's face. "Claude Moreau."

"Yes, that's right. By the way, you're holding an expensive piece of my personal property, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you return her."

"You bastard-I won't let you touch my baby!" Gwen hissed.

"You're not really in a position to fight me, especially whith your champion flat out on the floor." He made a hand gesture and suddenly men came into the hall, surrounding them. "These are my personal guards. Luckily, they were not affected by whatever it was that you slipped the others, Kieran." His voice was calm but there was an undertone of pure venom in it as he walked over to Kieran, staring down at him with contempt.

"What did you do to him?" Gwen cried, alarmed as Kieran's moving eyes were the only sign of life - he made no other movement.

Moreau smiled, looking pleased with himself. "A kind of tranquiilizer dart, except this one causes temporary paralysis. The effects will wear off in a few minutes, which I'm grateful for because I want Kieran to feel every bit of the punishment I have planned for him." His face hardened. "How could you betray me, after all I've done for you? I suspected there was someone inside my household working against me, but I never thought it would be you. You were very valuable to me. Ah well. I'm going to enjoy doing what has to be done in your case. And I'm going to make sure it's slow, and painful. After seeing what happens to you, no one here will ever dream of betraying me again."

He looked at the guards. "I want them all in my study. I have some...business to conduct."

Theresa and Gwen pulled back, ready to fight, and Claude pointed at Sarah, who was staring at him with large, frightened eyes. "Don't even try it. I'd hate to damage such a valuable child, but I will. And your friend here is completely helpless-do you really want to watch us kill him right in front of you?"

"Damn you." Gwen whispered, close to tears of fury and anguish as the guards began to pull her along. Theresa was in the same state as she was pushed down the corridors. What were they going to do now? Frantically, she tried to run through scenarios in her head but nothing came up, no grand, elaborate escape plan was forming in her mind. '_No_!' she whispered to herself. _'We've come so far...how could this happen? And what about Sarah_?' Her eyes filled with tears. They had failed her, and now they were probably going to all die.

It didn't seem possible for either of them to feel any worse...until Claude reached his study and ushered them in with a nasty, malicious smile.

A man was standing in the elegant, dark paneled room, his back to him.

"Ladies, I'd like you to meet my honored guest, although I don't believe introductions are really necessarily." Claude smiled cruelly and the man turned around, an identical smile on his face.

heresa and Gwen both gasped in shock and horror. Theresa felt her knees go weak and her heart plumment. "No, no...it can't be!"

Alistair Crane was standing in front of them.

**Jesenik-The Village**

Rina finished speaking and wiped her eyes, still sitting on the ground. Next to her, holding the girl's hand, Fancy felt sick at what she had just heard.  
The other four felt the same mix of nausea and fear.

"So this sick bastard has been terrorizing all of you for years, had your sister in his home, and you sold out my sister in exchange for her. You know what? That makes you just as bad as him!" Paloma spat, looking at Rina angrily.

"Paloma, come on, I know you're upset but look at the situation she was in!" Fancy stood up, shielding Rina protectively as Paloma stepped towards her.

"I don't care! Theresa could be dead because of her!"

Jared snapped out of his stupor long enough to pull Paloma back as she once again charged at Rina. "Paloma, this is not helping, alright? We don't know what's happened to Theresa, Gwen, or Fred. We're going to find out, right now. I can't believe they're dead, OK? I can't, not until I see it for myself. I'm not quitting now, so are you all with me, or am I going there myself."

"Oh, we're going." Ethan said quietly, unable to shake off the numbness that had settled on him as soon as Rina had said those terrifying words about Theresa and Gwen's fate. "We are going and we are going to tear that place apart, stone by stone, until we find them, and the bastard who did this.

"Well, let's not stand around watching the damn grass grow already. Rina, can you take us there?" Luis asked.

Rina had gotten to her feet and she looked towards the woods with fear in her eyes. For a long moment, she didn't respond as she stared into the distance, then she looked back at them.

"I cannot. I'm sorry. I must go-go home. There is something I need to do. Please, please forgive me..and be careful." Without another word, she turned and ran down the path.

"Damn her!" Paloma burst out. "Not only does she send my sister on a suicide mission but she won't lift a finger to help. She deserves what's happened to her."

"Paloma, stop. Let her go. And have faith...like Mama would tell us. We have to believe that Theresa is alive. Don't give up-she deserves that much." Luis stroked his youngest sister's hair. "Let's go."

They'd been following the path through the forest, moving at an infuriatingly slow pace as they tried their best to be on guard for whatever may be lying in wait for them.

"What do you think this is about?" Jared murmured to the others as they walked. " Why would he tell the locals to be on the lookout for anyone who comes from the States, particularly from Harmony? I mean, this guy sounds awful but what possible connection could he have to Theresa, or Gwen, or any of us, for that matter?"

"I don't know." Luis's voice was grim. "But you can be damn sure I'm going to find out, and with luck, he'll make me beat it out of him. I feel the need to burn off a little frustration."

"I'm with you there." Ethan's voice was a low growl. He couldn't stop seeing them both in his mind...Gwen, the first day he'd met her, their wedding day, all the trials they'd gone though, and Theresa...the one who'd walked into his life and shattered all of his plans, the one who changed his dreams, the one whose smile haunted his every waking moment. He'd wronged both of them, over and over. His selfishness, his own loss of identity, his own confusion had done this. He couldn't live without being able to make up the wrong he'd done to Gwen, and as for Theresa, he couldn't live without her, _period_.  
"

Wait...look!" Fancy suddenly stopped walking and pointed to a dark object partially hidden in the dense foliage. Dashing forward, she reached down and picked it up. "It's a purse!" The rest of them gathered around her as she opened it, looking for a wallet. "It's Theresa's! She wouldn't have just dropped this-oh my God, he must have gotten to them already. We have to hurry!"

"OK, maybe we should-" Luis was cut off by a bone chilling scream from Paloma. They turned to see her, stark white, pointing shakily at a tree several feet away, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh my God-Fred!" Jared cried.

They ran forward, and Luis fell to his knees beside the man, frantically checking for a pulse. He looked up at them, his eyes despairing. "He's dead-been dead for a while by the looks of it." He looked away, not wanting to look at anyone at the moment, afraid they would see the sheer terror in his eyes. Because now he felt it, felt the horrible knowledge course through him that it was looking more and more likely that they were too late-far too late.

"They killed him! Why would they do this-why would anyone want to hurt him? Why would anyone want to hurt Theresa and Gwen? Luis, what are we going to do?"

"We're not going to give up, Paloma! Fred is gone, but Gwen and Theresa are nowhere to be seen so we gotta believe they are in there, in that house, and they are still alive. So let's keep-"

His words were cut off by a loud explosion. It was coming from directly ahead-from the manor house.

**Moreau Manor**

Alistair's smile widened as he took in their shocked expressions, obviously loving every minute of it. "Gwen...Sarah. And of course, my loving wife, Theresa. A reunion-how wonderful. It's just like old times, isn't it?"

Theresa stared at him, desperately wishing this was some kind of terrible nightmare. "Why aren't you in hell where you belong?" she demanded.

"Well, it's not for your lack of trying, now is it?" Alistair snickered. "You must know what it would take more than a train accident to derail me."

"Of course."Â Gwen stared at him in utter disbelief. "Because you arranged the whole thing, didn't you, in case you had to make a quick escape? You killed innocent people to cover your tracks!"

Alistair shrugged. "And?" He gave them a feral smile.

"And what about Beth and Marty?" Theresa stepped forward. "If you're alive, they must be! Where are they, Alistair? Where is my nephew?"

Alistair plastered a mock look of sadness on his face. "I'm afraid my daughter and grandson were not as lucky as I. They, alas, didn't survive. Pity, isn't it?"

"Liar!" Theresa hissed, trying to pull away from the guard that was holding her.

Alistair shrugged. "Maybe. But you'll never know, will you? Oh Theresa, look at you. Watching you struggle reminds me of old times." He turned to Claude. "I believe we have some business to conduct.Â How much were you asking for her again?"

Claude looked at Theresa thoughtfully. "Well, she is _my_ prisoner, and my guards would have enjoyed her. If I let her go, it may foster a loss of morale. Let's start the biddng at one million."

Alistair frowned. "I want her. I'm not in the mood to dicker over it. I'll give you two."

"Sold!" Claude grinned wolfishly and the two shook hands as Gwen, Theresa, and Sarah stared in horror. Kieran, lying stiffly on the floor, groaned softly.

"You can't just sell people like cattle!" Gwen gasped.

"I believe I just did." Claude stared at her as if what she'd just said was blatantly offensive. "Besides, that's a fraction of what I paid for your daughter. I have no use for you, however, and Alistair doesn't seem interested either. Guards, take Ms. Winthrop outside and shoot her. Dispose of the body in the usual way."

"No!" Before anyone else could react, Sarah jumped out of her mother's arms. She ran over to Claude, drew back her small foot, and kicked him as hard as she could. "Don't hurt my mommy!"Â

Claude tried to grab the furious little girl, and then drew back his hand with a shriek. "She bit me!" he cried angrily, shaking his hand. A small circle of blood was forming on it.

Alistair laughed heartily, and suddenly picked up the child. Caught off guard, Sarah struggled, beating her tiny fists against his chest, but he didn't release her.

"Why, look at you, little Sarah. If I'd known you were going to grow up so pretty, and with such a delightful temper, I would have doubled your asking price."

"_I_ don't find it amusing." Claude spat. "This was exactly the sort of low, peasant behavior I was hoping to avoid. Obviously, she has some mongrel blood in her, courtesy of her father and that pedestrian cop who sired him. I should have never taken the deal, once we found out she wasn't a purebreed."

"My daughter is a person, not an animal, and I'll kill you for talking about her like one!" Gwen launched herself at Claude but the guards jumped her, pulling her back.

"Do you want us to kill her now, sir?" One asked in a rough accent. At his words, Theresa saw Kieran twitch out of the corner of her eye. Looking at him, she saw the anguish and pain on his face. The drug was starting to wear off, but not fast enough.

Claude started to answer but Alistair held up his arm. "Actually, Claude, I may want her after all. That is, if you're willling to sell Sarah back to me, since you're so dissatisfied with her. If you are, I'll buy Gwen from you as well. I'm sure Sarah will be very motivated to behave herself if she knows I hold her mother's life in my hands...won't you, Sarah?"

The little girl stared up at him, fear in her eyes, but said nothing.  
C

laude looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. Well, you'll have to make me a very good deal. After all, I've spent a lot on this failed experiment." He eyed Sarah coldly, then looked at the men assembled in the room. "Guards, you are dismissed. I'll page you if I need you."

Theresa shrank back into the corner as the guards left the room, hardly able to believe what she'd just heard. Alistair had bought them, all of them, with less trouble then it would be to buy a car. What would he do with them now? Well, she knew what he wanted with _her_, at least, and her stomach roiled. Alistair touching her again..she couldn't bear the thought.

Beside her, Gwen stared with wide eyes at Alistair and Claude, then looked at Theresa. For a moment, they exchanged frightened messages with their eyes. They needed to do something, but what? Alistair held Sarah in his arms. If they tried to attack, who knew what that sick bastard was capable of?

Claude smacked his head after the guards left. "Damn, I forgot to tell them to take the trash out." he indicated Kieran on the floor. "This man's going to be late for his scheduled torture." He and Alistair both laughed. "Well, it won't be nearly as much fun, but I'll just take care of him now." He turned and walked towards a cabinet, apparently intending to get a weapon.

"No!" Gwen cried, falling to her knees beside Kieran. "Don't do this, please!"

"I suggest you move." Claude had pulled a gun out of the cabinet and turned back towards them. "Otherwise, you're going to get blood all over that pretty outfit."

Kieran twitched again, several times. His fingers moved rapidly, but he was still unable to rise. Tears filled Gwen's eyes and slowly trickled down her face.

"Alistair, please stop this. If you let them go, all three of them, I promise I will go with you willingly. I will do whatever you want...anything, Alistair, please!" Theresa turned to the monster she called her husband, begging desperately.

Alistair looked tempted for a moment. "Anything?" Then he shrugged. "Well, you will any way, and actually, forcing you is half the fun. Carry on, Claude. Sarah, don't look-it will just upset you."

Sobbing, Sarah buried her face in his neck, and Theresa watched, sickened, as Alistair patted her back in a mock kindly fashion.

Claude raised the gun and Gwen screamed. Angrily, he kicked her and she fell away from Kieran, gasping and holding her stomach.

"Goodbye Kie-AGH!"

Claude stumbled back, holding his chest in shock as a loud crack sounded through the room. Blood appeared on his chest and his mouth fell open in shock as he looked at his attacker, standing in the doorway.

"R-rina!"

**To Be Continued...**

_**Coming Next...Claude may be down, but he's not out...a final attack may prove fatal for more than one person.**_


	24. Chapter 24

The Ex Factor

All chapters rated R for barrelfuls of gratuitous violence.

**Jesenik-Moreau Manor  
**  
Theresa and Gwen gasped in shock as Claude staggered.

"Rina!" he gasped again and then fell.

Seeing the tide turning, Alistair backed up a step-then turned and began to run towards the door, the helpless Sarah still in his arms.

"No!" Gwen cried. "Don't take her-I'll kill you first!" She started for Alistair but Kieran, still on the floor, managed to force himself upwards, grabbing Alistair's legs and knocking the older man and the child he still clutched to the ground. Before Alistair could regain his footing, Gwen snatched her daughter up and back into her arms, and Theresa threw herself on top of her despised husband, pinning him back to the ground.

"Leaving so soon, Alistair? We were having so much fun!" He struggled beneath her, finally managing to throw her off of him. Jumping to his feet he started for the door again but Kieran managed to finally stagger to his feet. He tightened his fist and hit Alistair with all of his strength. Alistair staggered back, hitting the wall and sliding back to the ground with a grunt.

Theresa was immediately in front of him, holding a letter opener she'd snatched from the desk to this throat. "Please, try to run again, Alistair. I beg you."  
Kieran stumbled and grabbed the desk for balance. Still weak, he slowly turned to face the doorway. "Rina." He said huskily. "Put the gun down."

"No!" Rina's face was drained of every bit of color, and her light colored eyes were wide and stunned looking. Claude lay on the floor in front of her, gasping, his eyes fixed on her face with a look of utter terror in them. "H-have mercy, Rina. Have mercy on me!"

"Mercy?" A bitter laugh tore from Rina's throat. "How can you use that word? Did you have mercy for my family when you raised our rent to a nearly unpayable amount? How about when my baby brother died because we could not afford medicine for him? Where was your mercy then, Claude? When you sent your guards to our home and took my sister in the middle of the night, was that your merciful act? I begged you to take me instead, remember? I came to your home and crawled to you on my hands and knees and I begged you! And do you remember what you said, Master Moreau? You said I'd already served my time. You said your guards didn't want used goods."

Her face twisted in hatred, she spat on the bleeding man. "You took everything from me and my family. Everything! But there was one thing I had left, only one. I knew that I was a good person. I had the knowledge that I would never hurt someone the way you have. Then you took that away from me too! I have learned well from you. If I can hurt innocent strangers, I can certainly hurt a man who the world would be so much better off without. Mercy? For a rabid, man killing wolf, caught in a trap, I could have mercy. Even for a poisonous snake with its fangs sunk into my hand, I could feel mercy. For you, there is nothing." She raised the gun.

"Rina!" Kieran raised his hand as he took a weak step towards her. "He is not worth it! You are so young-you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't do this!"

"Kieran, you know better than anyone what a monster he is. I do this for all of us." Her fingers tightened on the trigger.

"Let her do it, Kieran." Gwen whispered. Kieran looked at her for a moment then back at Rina.

"Think of the child, Rina, please." He indicated Sarah with a flick of his head. Rina looked up startled, noticing Sarah for the first time. Her hand shook. "Who is that?" she whispered, staring at Sarah's tearful, frightened face.  
"

My daughter." Gwen said, pulling Sarah closer to her.

Rina's face crumpled. "I'm sorry-I didn't know. I'm so, so sorry!" she begin to sob, the gun hanging loosely from her fingers.

Kieran moved quickly to her side and took the gun out of her hands. "It's alright, Rina." He stroked her hair for a moment. "You saved us all."

Rina looked at Theresa and Gwen, still tearful. "I sent you here to die." she whispered. "I sold you in return for my sister, and for my family's survival. You must hate me."

"No." Theresa shook her head, looking back at Rina but still keeping the letter open firmly pressed to Alistair's neck. "You were desperate. Believe me, I understand. I'm going to help you, Rina, I promise. I won't let you pay for that man's crimes, or this one's!" she turned back to Alistair, angrily jabbing the letter opener a little harder then was necessary. Alistair winced.

"What are you going to do, Theresa? Are you going to try to kill me, again? You should know by now that whatever you try is doomed to failure. Hasn't the last seven years taught you that? You're pathetic, Theresa...just a desperate little girl trying to force love from a man who barely acknowledges your existence."

"Shut up!" Theresa hissed.

"Ignore him, Theresa." Kieran said. "He's trying to get you upset enough to do something stupid." He looked around, and then walked slowly forward, looking as though he'd regained most of the ability to move. "Let's get something and tie him up." He thought for a moment.

"There are handcuffs in the desk drawer." Rina murmured. They all looked at her, startled, and she shook her head. "Believe me, you don't want to know." Her words were tinged with bitterness.

The four of them dragged a resisting Alistair into the padded office chair, forcing his arms behind the back of the seat and handcuffing them. For good measure, Kieran tied his feet his feet together with a length of rope he'd found in the desk as well, something else he supposed he didn't want to know the use for.

"Oh!" Rina looked startled as she looked at Theresa and Gwen. "I forgot to tell you-your people are here, looking for you. They should be here soon."

"People?" Gwen and Theresa looked at each other in amazement. "What people?"

"One said he was your husband." Rina looked at Gwen, then turned to Theresa. "One is your brother, one is your sister. And there is another man, with brown hair, and a blond woman."

"Ethan." Gwen whispered. Kieran looked at her, then looked down, a slight flicker of hurt in his eyes.

"Paloma, Luis, Jared, and Fancy too, it sounds like." Theresa turned back to Rina, looking confused. "How did you get here ahead of them?"

"Shortcut." Rina and Kieran spoke at the same time.

"Shortcut?" Gwen and Theresa echoed, looking at each other, disgusted. "There's a shortcut? Well isn't that a bi-" Theresa started to say, but suddenly Kieran's expression turned to horror.

"No!" He stumbled forward, hand outstretched. Theresa, Rina, and Gwen followed his gaze. Claude had dragged himself across the room while they were occupied, and he was getting closer and closer to the gun that Kieran had laid on the desk.

Claude turned at the sound of Kieran's cry. "I..don't..want...that." he whispered. "This...will...be...far...more..amusing." Before anyone could stop him, he reached up to the underside of the desk, and pressed something.

'"What the hell is that?" Theresa turned toward Kieran frantically as Claude's mocking laughter filled the room.

Before Kieran could answer, the sound of an explosion ripped through the manor.

A huge boom sounded in their ears. The ground rocked wildly beneath their feet; the windows rattled and objects fell off the desk, shelves, and walls, and on to the floor. For a minute, it was all the small group could do to stay on their feet, then it stopped.

"What was that?" Gwen asked shakily as she pulled Sarah nearer to her.

Kieran ran unsteadily to the window and looked out. "My God...it was the servant's quarters! He blew it up!" He turned and ran at Claude, pulling him up to a sitting position. "You psychopath, those were your own people!"

Claude laughed. "That's...not...all..n-n-n.." He suddenly gasped again and a low rattling noise emitted from him. Then he slumped back in Kieran's grip, his face slack.

"He's dead." Kieran dropped him in disgust and stood up. "We have to get out of here! I think that was just the first of a series...he's got this whole place wired. Let's move!"

"What about him?" Theresa stared at Alistair.

"Hmmm." Kieran gave Alistair an ice cold scrutinizing stare. "We can't take him. He'll stab us in the back as soon as we're distracted. We'll leave him here. Help will be here soon-someone will have called about the explosion. Hopefully, they'll get to you in time, Mr. Crane." He gave Alistair a lopsided smile. "It would just be heartbreaking if help gets here too late."

Suddenly, the boom sounded again, louder this time. It took over a minute for the room to stop shaking, and with a crack and a series of sparks, the electricity went off, the room becoming so dark they could barely see one another.

"That was closer!" Gwen cried. "We've got to move! Kieran, do you know the fastest way out from here?" She looked around frantically. They were at the very top of the manor now. Could they get out in time? Would her daughter die here in this den of nightmares?

"Rina!" Kieran turned to her. "Run ahead..take the shortcut and get help. We will be slower with the child and I'm still a bit numb. Hurry!"

Rina nodded, and dashed out of the room. Kieran turned to them. "Stay close to me-we can't get separated."

Alistair began screaming from his chair. "You can't leave me here! Theresa, if you do this you'll be as bad as I am! Don't you want to bask in your moral superiority? I'll do anything you want, sign everything over to you and your son for good, give you a divorce...Theresa!! Don't do this! Gwen, if you help me I'll promise that Theresa will never get her hooks into your husband! I'll give you everything-I'll give Ethan back his birthright!"

Gwen and Theresa both turned, giving Alistair looks of deep hatred. "Goodbye Alistair." Theresa said quietly.

Gwen looked at him for a longer moment, then turned to Kieran. "Can you take Sarah, please?" At his look of surprise she continued. "You know the way...if I get separated I know you can get her out."

"Alright then." Kieran lifted the little girl in his arms. "Follow me!"

He headed out of the room. Theresa started to follow but Gwen grabbed her arm.

"You know he'll make it out of this, Theresa." She cast another look back at Alistair. "And he'll come back, again and again. Our families will never be safe...our children."

Theresa stared at her for a moment, then looked at Alistair. "The window." She whispered, looking back at Gwen. "Behind him."

Alistair turned pale as the women stared at him. "No...you can't...you wouldn't!"

"On the count of three." Gwen whispered. "One...two...three!"

Theresa and Gwen grabbed the chair Alistair was seated in. He screamed a helpless, high pitched wail as they ran and pushed it with all their strength. "No...no!!"

The chair flew across the room, directly at the floorlength pane glass window and then it hit it...shattering it as Alistair flew out of it, and then plummented out of sight.

They heard another scream, a crash...then nothing.

Gwen and Theresa stared at each other for a moment, then Gwen put a finger to her lips. "No one. Don't ever speak of this again, Theresa."

"Theresa...Gwen...where are you?" They heard Kieran yell from down the corridor. Without another word, they turned and ran from the room.

**Jesenik-The Forest**

"Oh my God, that came from where Theresa and Gwen are!" Ethan cried as the noise of the explosion ricketed through the forest. The five of them looked at each other in horror, then without another word began to run, abandoning all caution. They hadn't made it far when suddenly Rina burst on to the path in front of them.

"Rina, what the hell?" Luis burst out. "What are you doing-what's going on?" He looked ahead at the manor in the distance, barely visible through the trees, and then back at her.

"We need help." Rina gasped for breath as she spoke. "Your people are alive-I've seen them, but Claude set off a bomb and we think there is more than one. They are trying to get out."  
Ethan felt his knees go weak with relief. Beside him, he heard Jared exhale shakily. Paloma threw her arms around Luis, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Oh, thank God." Fancy whispered, her hand over her heart. Then her eyes widened again. "Bombs?!"

"Rina, we need your help!" Luis stared at the young woman. "How did you get there and back so fast?"

"Shortcut." Rina said, pointing behind her. "The path you're on takes you almost all the way around the woods. If you go through that grove of trees, there's another path that takes you straight to the manor."

"That would have been nice to know earlier!" Jared gave her a harsh look. Just then, the noise from a second explosion rocketed through the woods. The six of them exchanged looks of horror.

"OK, Jared, Ethan, and I will continue to the manor. Paloma, you, Fancy, and Rina go get help!"

"No way!" Paloma and Fancy shook their heads simultaneously. "We are with you!" Paloma added. "That's my sister too, and you are going to need us to help you find them."

Luis opened his mouth to continue the argument when suddenly a third explosion sounded. Rina cried out with horror, whirling around, her hand over her mouth.

"That wasn't from the manor-that was from the village!" Ethan nearly choked on the words. "Oh my God, that maniac has this whole place set to blow up-he wants to kill everyone!"

"No!" Rina cried out. "My family-I must go to them-I must help! I am sorry but I must go!"

"It's OK." Luis called out after her as she ran back the other way. "Rina, we will come back and help as soon as we can!" He looked at the others grimly. "We've got to run to them, you guys, and if you can pray at the same time, do it."

**Moreau Manor**

Kieran looked at Gwen and Theresa, alarm in his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you both for a minute!"

Gwen and Theresa exchanged nervous looks. "I'm sorry, we must have gotten turned around in the dark." Gwen couldn't quite meet his eyes as she said it.

"Alright, well stay close from now on. This place is convoluted, and I don't want to take a chance on losing you." Kieran's eyes were on Gwen's, and she felt herself flush all over again. "All together now...four flights of stairs and we're at the bottom. We just need to move before another-" Before Kieran finished his sentence, they heard another explosion, but this one was distant and far away. The three of them exchanged startled looks, then Kieran looked stricken. "My God, it's the village!"

Theresa gasped. "The village? All of those people..Claude wanted to kill them too? But why?"

Kieran shook his head as they hurried down a flight of stairs. "I think that meglomaniac set this up as either a way to cover himself if he needed an escape, or the ultimate suicide. If he had to go, he wanted to take as many people with him as possible. I hope his black soul is burning in hell as we speak...damn him!" They were hurtling down another corridor now and towards the next staircase. There was no more time for conversation as they continued to pick up speed, each of them knowing that another bomb could go off at any moment, and this time, they were unlikely to escape it.

A few short minutes were an endless, agonizing eternity but finally, they were on the main floor. "There!" Kieran cried. "We're almost there!"

Almost as soon as he spoke, the world exploded and fell in on them, burying them in a shower of dust, plaster, debris, and stone

**Jesenik - The Forest**

The five of them burst out of the woods and stopped, stunned, in the clearing, staring at the remains of the huge manor house in front of them. Almost two thirds of it was damaged, walls caved in, rooms turned into piles of rubble... And all around them men, dressed in the strangest costumes any of them had ever seen, were stumbling across the grass, some holding their injured cohorts between them as they tried to get away from the crippled house. Seeing the massive weaponry the men possessed, Luis drew his gun, ready for battle. But the men didn't even seem to notice them-they were too bent on getting as far away from the manor as they could. Besides, having their deranged master try to blow them up probably put a damper on any urge they had to fight for him.

Here and there bodies lay in the grass, or those too injured to move and with no one to help. Occasionally, in the midst of the men, they saw other people staggering or running across the green grass, some dressed in what was obviously service attire.

"These poor people." Luis whispered. "This guy is sick-blowing up his own house and everyone with it."

Ethan and Jared has seen enough. Both of them started forward at the same time.

"Hey!" Luis called after them. "Stay together-there could be other bombs! I'll take Fancy and Paloma with me!" He turned to the two women. "We have to check the place out, fast! Stay with me, this whole thing could collapse at any time!" Cautiously, but swiftly, they moved forward. Jared and Ethan had disappeared towards the less damaged part of the house, and Fancy, Luis, and Paloma ran up the stairs, moving to one of the few remaining doorways.

"Luis.." Fancy started to call out something and that's when the third bomb blew. The full impact of the blast was not close to where they were standing, but the wall in front of them, already severely damaged, begin to break, crashing down all around them. Instinctively, all of them ducked down, hands wrapped around their heads. Stones rained down on them, but none of them were big enough to cause more then minor damage. Almost a minute passed as they huddled desperately before the falling stones ceased. Straightening up, Luis ran to Fancy and Paloma, frantically checking them. All three were bloody and bruised, but Luis breathed a sigh of enormous relief when he saw that they were ok. "Thank God! OK, you guys, we have to-"

"Luis!" Fancy screamed. The small portion of wall that was left began to fall, coming down right where Luis was standing. There was no time for her to think, no time to be careful. She dove at him, knocking him off of his feet and out of the way. For a moment, even Paloma's scream was drowned out in the boom of crashing and breaking rock.

As the dust settled, Luis sat up, stunned. "Paloma...damn, I didn't even see that coming." Luis stumbled, dizzy for a moment. His younger sister helped him to his feet and then they both looked around.

"Fancy? Oh my God, where is she?" Turning frantically, Luis peered through the swirling dust. "Fancy? Fancy, no!" He cried out in terror as he spotted her, nearly buried in a pile of rubble, eyes closed, blood trickling down her face.


	25. Chapter 25

The Ex Factor

**Moreau Manor**

Inside Moreau Manor, it was deadly silent for a moment once the ceiling and walls stopped falling. Cautiously, Kieran opened his eyes. He'd thrown himself over Sarah when the explosion happened, and she lay sobbing beneath him.

"Sarah? Sarah!" He snatched her in his arms. "Where does it hurt, sweetheart?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm OK. Where's my mommy? Where's Theresa?"

Kieran picked her up and got to his feet. "Gwen! Gwen, Theresa, where are you?"

"I'm here!" Theresa called from behind him. Relieved, he turned around, looking her over carefully. She was covered with dust, and looked like she might have been hit by some small rubble, but for the most part she looked good. Her eyes met his worriedly, looking for any sign of Gwen.

Sarah sobbed louder in Kieran's arms. "Mommy? Mommy!"

"Here!" A strained voice called. "I'm stuck!"

"Gwen, my God!" They could barely make out her struggling form. Racing over to her they saw that Gwen had managed to pull herself into an upright position, but one of her legs was nearly covered with huge pieces of rubble. "I tihnk my ankle is broken, maybe my leg." Gwen whispered as she tried to twist herself out, her face white with pain. "I can barely move it and I can't get this stuff of of me."

"Mommy!" Kieran had set Sarah down so he could try to free Gwen, and now she ran to her mother's side, throwing her arms around her. "Mommy, don't leave me! Please, get up so we can go!" Sarah was nearly frantic with terror.

Theresa ran to help Kieran, tugging at the huge slab of concrete that was holding Gwen's leg in place. They both grunted and groaned as they strained to move it. It started to slide...oh so slowly...moving about an inch, then stopped.

"Kieran, we have to go!" Theresa glanced around her frantically. "Most of this section is still standing-it's the far part that's caved in. I think that means there's another bomb, meant to finish it off. We have to get out of here!"

Kieran's eyes met hers, and for the first time, Theresa saw real fear in them...not fear for himself, but fear for Gwen. "I can get her out...I just need a minute!"

"We don't have a minute!" This time it was Gwen who spoke. "Kieran, get my daughter out of here! That's all that matters, that Sarah is safe. Please, Kieran, leave me and go!"

"No!" Kieran shook his head. "I won't leave you, Gwen-don't even ask."

Theresa stood up, heart pounding frantically in her chest. "Gwen, give Sarah to me." She held out her arms for the child.

Gwen looked at her warily and clutched Sarah tighter to her. "No, Theresa...Kieran will get her out."

Theresa knelt down, forcing Gwen to look her in the eyes. "Gwen, you have to trust me now. Give Sarah to me-I will get her out of here."

Gwen looked at her, tears forming in her own eyes. After a second, she pushed Sarah at her. "Take her, Theresa. Get my baby out of here, please!"

Theresa nodding. Gathering up the protesting Sarah in her arms, she looked at Kieran.

"That way!" He pointed to the left, answering her unspoken question. "We will be right behind you!"

_'I hope so_.' Theresa whispered to herself. Hugging Sarah tightly to her, she began to run.

**Jesenik- Grounds of Moreau Manor  
**  
"Through that door!" Ethan yelled to Jared. "We can get inside and start searching!" He pointed ahead of them and both men ran up the front steps of the manor. They had barely reached the top when it happened...the final bomb went off. The explosion was so loud they instinctively clutched their ears. Stumbling backwards, Jared felt himself lose his footing, falling...he hit the bottom of the steps with a sickening thud and lay there, motionless.

Ethan nearly fell too, but he reached out blindly and felt the cold stone of the handrail in front of him and grabbed desperately. Around them the noise thundered, sounding like the world itself was caving in. An enormous dust cloud rose...when the last bomb hit, it destroyed the last semblance of structure the building had. Every single remaining wall, every piece still standing...it all fell. Moreau Manor was no more.

After a minute in which Ethan was convinced that none of them would survive, the noise and thundering crashes around him finally eased. He stood up. It was quiet...eerily so. He could barely see more than a foot in front of him, the dust was so thick. Choking and wheezing, he staggered forward. "Theresa! Gwen! Please answer me-please! Anybody? Hello, can anybody here me? Theresa! Gwen!"

Desperately peering through the thick cloud, trying to see anything, Ethan felt moisture stream down his face. The dust stung his eyes, but it wasn't the source of the tears. He felt like someone had literally ripped his heart out, and the pain was so unbearable that all he wanted to do was dig his own grave in the dirt and cover himself up. But he couldn't stop now...not until he knew for sure.

There was no sign of anyone else either...Theresa, Gwen, Jared, Luis, Fancy, Paloma...were they all gone?

"Theresa! Gwen! Anybody, for God sakes, please answer me!" Suddenly he stopped and stared, sure for a moment his eyes were playing tricks on him. Out of the dust a figure appeared, but the air was so thick he could barely make them out. He ran towards it, praying, begging, bargaining...

It was a man, a tall man, dressed in the odd ancient warrior style costume he'd seen the other men wearing, and in his arms he held...

"Gwen!" Ethan cried out. "Let her go!" He charged forward, tackling the man, and all three of them fell to the ground. He pulled the man away from Gwen and drew back his fist, ready to pummel him.

"No!" Gwen cried out. Ignoring the agonizing pain in her ankle, she crawled forward, grabbing Ethan from behind and pulling him back. When he turned to face her, this time it was her who drew her arm back and struck Ethan as hard as she could, directly in the face.

"Gwen! It's me, Ethan!" Ethan cried, holding his hand over his nose, which was bleeding profusely.

"I knew it was you, Ethan, and believe me when I say you had that coming!" Gwen glared at him fiercely and the other man got up.

Before Ethan could stop him, he again lifted Gwen into his arms. Turning back to Ethan, he looked at him. "I'm Kieran Brady. I'm here to help."

Ethan looked at him in disbelief and started to lunge at him again.

"Stop, Ethan!"Â Gwen cried. "He's telling the truth! He saved my life!"

Ethan looked at her in amazement and that's when it hit him. She was there, in front of him. She was alive!

"Gwen, thank God!" He reached out and grabbed her hand. "I thought you were...wait, where's Theresa?"

Panic leapt into Gwen's eyes. "You didn't see her?" She turned her head, looking desperately at Kieran. "No, no...I can't lose her again!" She looked back, straining her eyes to see through the dust.

Ethan looked at her, surprised at her strong reaction. Since when had she cared about Theresa? Kieran was stroking Gwen's hair, murmuring soothingly to her. Ethan felt a rip of jealousy tear through him. Who the hell was this stranger and why was he handling Gwen with such familiarity? Then her words registered, and he felt agonizing pain jolt through him once more. Theresa...where was she?

"Ethan!" A deep male voice came from behind him, and Ethan turned to see Luis staggering up the steps, carrying Fancy in his arms. A disheveled and bloody Paloma was beside him.

"Oh my God, Fancy! Luis, is she ok?"

Luis looked at him and Ethan could see the quiet terror in his eyes. "I don't think so, Ethan. She got hit pretty hard, and that was before the last blast hit. She's unconscious." Gently, he laid her on the ground. "Ethan...we have to get help, fast!"

Ethan nodded, his heart in his throat.

Luis looked at the other two. "Gwen, my God!" He eyed Kieran warily and the tall man held up a hand in an 'I surrender' fashion.

"I'm a friend, here to help." Gwen nodded at Kieran's words and Luis's wariness eased. He looked around.

"Where's Jared? And Theresa?"

Ethan shook his head, surprised he could even do that much when he felt like the life was draining out of him. "We don't know." he whispered.

Gwen began to sob. "No, Kieran, no...please, no!"

"We'll find them, Gwen, I promise." Kieran knelt down and gently put Gwen next to Fancy on the ground. He stood up, looking at the others. The despair in his eyes told them that he wasn't so sure.

Gwen struggled to a sitting position. "I have to go-I have to find her! I have to bring her back!"

Ethan stared at Gwen in bewilderment, wondering if she'd hit her head. Why did she want Theresa found so desperately? Normally, this would be the point where she'd be making remarks under her breath about hoping Theresa was crushed under ten feet of rubble. He put a soothing hand on her back, but Gwen flinched away.

"It's alright, Gwen. We'll find her." Slightly stung by her obvious anger towards him, he nevertheless tried to keep his voice reassuring. Inside though, he didn't feel that way. If they didn't find Theresa, he didn't know how he'd make it through. All he wanted, more than anything, was to see her again.

"OK, let's spread out. Paloma, if you could stay here with Gwen and Fancy, Ethan, and I, and this guy, whoever the heck you are-' Luis indicated Kieran with a flick of his finger, 'We'll start searching so-" Suddenly he stopped, staring. "Look!"

Through the dust another figure had appeared, looking oddly bulky and hunched over as it stumbled towards them. Ethan took a step, barely daring to breathe, then another, then another...

He was running now and he wanted to cry out with joy when she lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes.

"Theresa, thank God!" Reaching out, he yanked her against his chest, stroking her hair, her face...then suddenly he pulled back, staring in shock at the small figure in her arms.

"Theresa, what...who..?"

The child looked up, fixing her brilliant eyes on him. They shone brightly in her grime covered face. She looked at him quietly for a moment before she smiled. "Hi, Daddy. Where have you been?"

Everything froze in place as Ethan stared at her. Eyes just like his own gazed back at him. "Sarah?' He reached a shaking hand out to touch her. "How can...how did...Sarah!" He fell to his knees in front of them, staring up at his daughter, tears streaming down his face. "I never...I never thought...oh my God, my little girl!"

Theresa was crying again as Ethan stared in wonder and amazement at his daughter, shock and joy radiating from his face. He touched her so gingerly, as if he were afraid she'd melt away.

"I can't believe it...I can't believe it!" Laughing, he held out his arms and Sarah jumped into them.

"Where's Mommy?"

Ethan turned to see Gwen, tears streaming down her face, holding out her arms to her daughter. He started to go to her, then turned back. "Theresa, thank you. Thank you so much!"

Theresa nodded, wiping her eyes, then spotting the others, she hurried over to them. "Paloma, Luis!" She threw her arms around her brother and sister.

"Theresa, we were so worried! You are crazy, do you know that?" Wiping her eyes, Paloma hugged her sister tightly. Theresa cried out in pain and pulled back.

"What is it?" Everyone turned towards her in panic.

"My hand." Theresa looked down and winced. "We got turned around in there...it was so dark and I couldn't see where I was going. I must have gone the wrong way but we found a way out. We were almost clear when the last bomb hit. I put Sarah under me but we got hit with a lot of stuff. Something crushed my hand-I think my fingers are broken."

"We have to get you all to a hospital." Luis looked at her. "Fancy got hurt too, Theresa." He indicated the prone figure on the ground. "I think she's pretty bad."

Theresa put a hand over her mouth as she saw Fancy's limp figure. "Oh my God!"

"And Jared..." Paloma's voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"What?" Theresa's voice rose in panic. "What happened to Jared?" Frantically, she looked around.

Luis shook his head. "I don't know, Theresa. We haven't seen him since the last explosion. He and Ethan took off to look for you guys over here."

Ethan stepped up to Theresa, still holding Sarah firmly in his grip. "We were going up the stairs and the bomb went off. I couldn't see or hear anything...when it stopped, he was gone. He can't be far."

"The dust is starting to settle now." Luis said. "Let's find him, and get help."

They could hear sirens in the distance now, getting closer and closer.

"Oh, thank God." Paloma whispered. "Help is coming."

"I have to find Jared!" Theresa was terrified. "You said you were by the stairs? Where...look!" she pointed. They could barely make out a dark figure prostrate at the bottom of the stairs. Theresa ran towards it, Luis, Paloma, Kieran, and Ethan close behind.

"Jared!"

He was so pale, lying there, with blood trickling down his face, eyes closed.

"Jared, no! Please be OK, please!" Moving awkwardly with her broken hand, Theresa patted his face gently. "Jared? Jared, wake up." Her chin quivered. "Jared, please, you're scaring me!"

A slow groan answered her, and Jared's head moved slightly.

"Jared!" Theresa cried, patting his face again. With excruciating slowness, his eyes finally opened. Then a slow smile crossed his face as he saw her looking down at him.

"Tess. Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Theresa laughed with relief. "You're not so bad, yourself. Just lie still, ok? Help is coming."

When he saw that Jared was alright, Luis turned and ran back up the steps towards Gwen and Fancy. "You hanging in there, Gwen?"

She nodded, fresh tears still showing on her face. "I'm perfect. Just perfect." Then her face fell as she looked at Fancy. "She's breathing, but she hasn't moved or opened her eyes. I'm sorry, Luis."

"She saved my life." Luis knelt down and fingered a lock of Fancy's blond hair. "It should be me lying here, and not her." He stroked her face. "Fancy, you gotta hang on, OK? I promise, I'm going to stay with you. I'm going to help you fight, but you have to stay with me, alright?" He took her delicate hand in his large one, looking impatiently towards the woods. "Where's the damn paramedics already?"

Almost as soon as he spoke, he saw Rina burst out of the woods and behind her EMTS came out of the trees, carrying stretchers and equipment, looking horrified at the sight before them.

Luis heaved a sigh of relief, then leaned over, dropping a gentle kiss on Fancy's forehead. "See, Fancy, they're coming. You're going to be alright. You have to be."

**TBC...  
**

**The end is very near! In the next chapter, find out if Fancy will be ok and coming soon, Gwen and Ethan have a very serious conversation.**


	26. Chapter 26

**The Ex Factor**

**Bulovka Hospital-Prague  
**  
Luis in the waiting room, silent, as he had been for the past thirty minutes. Across from him, Ethan sat with Sarah curled up in his arms. sleeping. On the other side of him sat Kieran. Next to Luis, Paloma tapped her foot on the floor. All five of them had small wounds cleaned up, stitched and bandaged by the hospital staff, but none of them had serious enough injuries to be admitted. So all they could was sit, and wait, as they had been the past several hours. Theresa, Gwen, Jared, and Fancy had been taken off for examination and evaluation.

It looked as though they all would be OK...except Fancy. There had been no word on her for quite a while. The waiting was agonizing, but the hospital was swamped, so Luis tried to keep a rein on his temper. Most of the badly hurt from Jesenik had been brought here. He thought back to the devastation of Jesenik that they'd seen firsthand as the ambulance was taking them away. The village streets had looked like a war zone, with screaming, crying locals, the dead being laid out on the side of the road...families, wailing in despair as they searched through the rubble for their loved ones. He shook his head, remembering. "I don't ever want to see something like that again." He murmured out loud. No one needed to ask what he was talking about.

Soft footsteps sounded behind them, and then a shy figure walked into their midst.

"Rina!" Ethan looked at the young woman, startled. "I'm glad to see you're OK. How did you get here?" He nodded at the seat on the other side of him. "How is your family?"

Rina sat down and Paloma, Luis, and Kieran leaned forward as she spoke softly.

"They are good." She gave them a small smile. "We were very lucky. None of the homes were...how do you say it? Bombed? But the cafe...the stores...the doctor's..." she shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "It all fell. So many people were lost. And those that worked in the manor...many escaped, but many died too. Even I never thought that Claude Moreau would go there far. I wish-"

Kieran gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of his head, warning her to stop before she revealed her role in Claude's death. He knew what she wished-that she had gone ahead and killed Claude before he had time to set off the bombs. God forgive him, but he wished he had let her.

"Any way, the town was evacuated. They are afraid there are still more bombs. The people who aren't badly hurt are still being brought here so I asked to ride in with them instead of going to the shelter. I wanted to see how you all are."

Ethan smiled at her. "They're good. Well, Gwen broke her ankle, Theresa hurt her hand, and Jared has some kind of head injury but they should be just fine. My sister though..." He sighed heavily. "We don't know."

"I'm so sorry." Rina's eyes filled with tears.

Before anyone else could speak, Paloma reached out to her. "I'm sorry too, Rina. I won't pretend I am OK with what you did, because I'm not. But I don't know

what I would have done in your shoes. It must have been such a nightmare for you."  
Rina gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you. I hope-"

She went silent as a harried looking nurse suddenly approached. She looked at the clipboard she was holding with a frown. "Winthrop!" She barked. Ethan stood up hurriedly. "Your wife is good. Her ankle is broken, leg is not. She will have pain. We have given her medicine. She is coming now." The nurse dismissed Ethan with a glance and flipped a page on her clipboard. "Casey must stay. He has concussion. He leaves in morning." She gave them a look as if daring them to argue with her, and Paloma hid a smile.

"Crane, Theresa. Her hand, it is crushed. Bad injury. She will have surgery. She has concussion as well. Leave tomorrow, maybe next day." She consulted her clipboard again. " Crane, Fancy." She paused for a moment and everyone sat up straighter, except for Luis, who got to his feet and started pacing nervously. "She has internal injuries, fractured ribs, and head injury. We had to operate, but she will be fine." She gave them a wintery smile, something that looked like it was probably a rare concession from her. "She stays. I do not know when she can go yet, but she is good."

"Thank you!" Before the nurse could step away, Luis jumped forward and kissed her soundly on both cheeks, feeling the relief flood through him, making him giddy.

"Sir!" She smacked him away from her, holding out the clipboard like a weapon. "I call security!"

"No, no!" Luis laughed at her outraged expression. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again. See, I'm sitting down." He made a show of sitting and cast an angelic smile her way. Then suddenly he bounced back to his feet, and the nurse took a step back, giving him a wary look. "Can I see her?" He asked, as hopefully as a kid on Christmas morning. The nurse gave him a very reluctant look. "Very quick. Come this way-and keep hands to yourself!" Luis followed her out of the room, whistling.

The rest of them got to their feet as well. "I want to see Theresa. I'm going to ask." Paloma grinned. "Rina, do you want to come with me? I'm sure she would like to see you."

Rina smiled shyly and Paloma grabbed her hand, dragging her off to the nurses station. That left Kieran, Sarah, and Ethan. An awkward silence fell between them. Ethan still wasn't sure about this brash stranger with the Irish accent, who seemed to insert himself into the role of Gwen's protector every chance he got. Not that he had any room to talk. He exhaled deeply, and Kieran looked at him questioningly.

Ethan raised an eyebrow at him. "Can I ask you one thing?"

Kieran shrugged. "Of course."

"OK, then. What the hell are you wearing?"

Kieran looked down at his uniform with a rueful smile. "These outfits was designed specifically by Claude Moreau." He shook his head in disgust. "I should have known he was evil the minute I saw it."

Ethan laughed. When he stopped, he looked at Kieran again. "I'm grateful to you, for everything you've done. Gwen says you saved her and Theresa, and most of all, you gave us back our daughter. And you safeguarded her all these years...I don't know what she would have done without you."

Kieran looked at Sarah's sleeping form with a hint of sadness. "I don't know what I would have done without her. Maybe I would have become like the other guards, loving power, not caring about human life...I don't know. It has been a very dark time."

Ethan nodded. "It has...for all of us. I can only hope that things will get better."

Kieran looked at him steadily. "Things don't just get better. We have to work at it." He looked up and a smile broke out on his face. "Gwen!"

He and Ethan both got to their feet as a nurse wheeled Gwen towards them. An enormous smile broke out on her face as she looked at her sleepy daughter. "I still can't believe it." she whispered. "It was agonizing, just being away from her these last few hours. I kept thinking I was going to wake up, and she'd be gone."

Ethan stroked her face. "Never again." He said softly, unable to help but notice how her face went impassive the minute he touched her. "I think it's time we go."

Gwen nodded. "Yes, let's get back to the hotel. I've never been more exhausted in my life."

Ethan followed behind, noticing how Kieran had automatically taken charge of Gwen's wheelchair and how carefully he pushed her. He hadn't missed the looks between them. Gwen had only been in Jesenik a short time, but it was long enough, apparently, for the whole state of his marriage to completely shift. They were going to have to talk it out..everything. He'd waited long enough. Things couldn't go on this way, any more. Especially after what he'd read in Theresa's letter.

**Prague-Hotel Moravia**

Kieran settled Gwen on the couch in her suite, making sure her cast was carefully propped up, then finding a small blanket in one of the other rooms to tuck around her. Sarah was asleep, tucked on the loveseat across the room. She could have had a bedroom of her own, but Gwen wanted the child with her at all times, both because she needed to be able to see her, as well as the fear that Sarah would wake up in a strange place by herself and be terrified.

"Where's Ethan?" Kieran looked at her curiously.

"He's calling the hospital. Luis and Paloma decided to stay, so I guess he just wants to make sure they haven't changed their mind and need a ride here." The lie was so automatic, ingrained in her from all those years of being married to Ethan. He was checking on Theresa; there was no doubt about it. She knew it, and by the look on Kieran's face, he knew it too. She sighed.

"Thank you for getting me a room here." Kieran smiled at her.

"Of course, Kieran. It was the least I could do. I owe you so much." She smiled warmly at him and he took her hand and squeezed it.

"My room has a fireplace." Kieran grinned. "I'm going to burn this God awful garment. Well, as soon as I get some other clothes. Can't be walking around naked, after all."

Gwen had a sudden, very vivid picture of what that would look like and her face turned scarlet. She crossed her fingers that Kieran couldn't see the blush in the dimly lit room. "So what will you do now?" She looked at him curiously. "Are you going to stay in Jesenik?"

"Oh, no." Kieran shook his head firmly. "The locals...well, to them I'm a monster. I can't blame them for feeling that way. If Rina hadn't intervened, I would have been arrested with the other remaining guards. As it is, I'd like to get out of here before the authorities change their mind and come after me regardless. They need a scapegoat now that Claude's dead and their corruption is coming out. The destruction of an entire village is rather hard to cover up. I suppose I will keep wandering. Maybe I'll stop back in Ireland for a little while, see my family, but it's not where I belong."

"Is there a chance..." Gwen hesitated. "Is there a chance you will wander our way? I know that Sarah would love to see you. I don't know how she's going to do without you, really, and I-" Looking down, she blushed even more.

Kieran touched her face gently. "Keep looking at me like that, Gwen, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth." They just sat for a moment, looking at each other, and then Gwen started to speak. Before she could form the first word, Ethan came in from the other room.

"Oh, Kieran, you're still here." He held a glass of water in one hand and Gwen's medication in the other.

Kieran stood up. "I'm leaving, actually. You know where I am, should you need me." He gave Gwen a final look and then left the suite.

Ethan sat down next to her. "I thought you'd like something for the pain." He started to hand her the pill but Gwen pushed his hand away. "I don't want it, Ethan." She eyed his bruised face. "Maybe you should take it. Your nose looks awful."

Ethan touched it gingerly and winced. "The doctor said you broke it."

Gwen smiled, but it was a cool one. "I hope you're not waiting for an apology, because you're not going to get one."

Ethan sighed. "I know I deserved it, Gwen. Believe me, I know."

Gwen just shook her head, tears in her eyes. Ethan looked at her worriedly. "I know we need to talk, but you look exhausted. Would you like me to help you get into bed?"

Gwen shook her head determinedly. "No. We really do need to talk. You start."

Ethan looked at the ground. "I guess I don't really know where to start, Gwen. This has been such a mess for so long. I want you to know how sorry I am that I didn't take you seriously when you thought that Sarah was alive. I should never have threatened to institutionalize you. I don't know what I was thinking. I just-I was so afraid you would get hurt again-and I was afraid for me too. I was so scared to hope and then go through that pain again."

Gwen flinched lightly at his words. It was almost exactly what Theresa had said he was feeling. The knowledge that Theresa had been right once again ate at her. "Ethan, I think you'd better put Sarah in the other room. This is going to go on for a while. Leave the door open, so we can see her."

When Ethan returned, he again sat next to her, taking her hand in his. "It's not only Sarah that I'm sorry about, Gwen. It's everything. I haven't been here for you, and I haven't been honest with you. There's always been three people in this marriage. I could never let go of Theresa the way I should have. I could never give myself completely to you, and you deserve better. I-I've made a decision." He was silent for a moment and Gwen felt her heart shrivel in her chest. Tears filled her eyes and slowly overflowed. Ethan looked at her sadly and squeezed her hand. "Gwen, maybe we should do this later. You're hurt, and Sarah's here..."

"No, Ethan, no! I have waited so long for you to be honest with...too long! Why can't you say it, Ethan? Just say it! Say it! Please, stop this-you're killing me! Do you really think you're doing me a favor, refusing to tell me the truth out of pity? You said I deserve better, but you don't believe it. You think that having a husband in my bed, but who has given his heart to someone else is the best I could do? You think that no one else could ever want me, or love me, no one else could actually see me as the only woman for them, is that it?" Gwen's voice rose angrily.

Ethan looked at her. "You're talking about Kieran, aren't you? Something is going on between you. Well, he's a fast worker, I'll say that for him."

Gwen's hand flashed out and slapped Ethan across the face, hard. "Don't you even start. I barely know him! I'll admit that I'm flattered by his attention. Kieran looks at me like I'm a real woman. He looks at me and I feel wanted and I feel like I'm the only woman in the world. That's how a husband is supposed to make his wife feel, Ethan. That's how you're supposed to make me feel! Well, you know how you really make me feel? You make me feel desperate, and bitter, and ugly, and hateful. You make me feel pitiful. I'd forgotten what it could be like to feel beautiful." She wiped the tears off her cheeks. "So if you think you're doing me a favor, staying with me out of guilt, you can get over that noble notion right now, because you have wrecked my life for the last seven years and I refuse to let you any longer. If you can't say it, I'll say it for you. I want a divorce."

Ethan looked at her, stunned. "Are you serious?"

Gwen gave him an angry stare. "I'm serious, Ethan. If you refusing to help me look for our daughter wasn't the nail in the coffin of our relationship, finding out that you've been sleeping with Theresa behind my back certainly was."

Ethan went pale. "Did she tell you that? I can't believe she'd be that malicious!" He shook his head.

"Oh, shut up, Ethan. You're not going to weasel out of this one by blaming it all on Theresa. I seriously doubt she had to work very hard to get you to drop your pants."

Seeing the raw pain in her face, Ethan reached for her but she flinched away. "Don't touch me, Ethan." she whispered. Putting a hand over her face, she began to sob.

Ethan stood up. "I wasn't trying to blame Theresa. It's not her fault. It's mine. I just couldn't - I couldn't stop loving her. I'm sorry, Gwen...I'm so sorry. This is...it's all my fault. I ruined all three of our lives, and I take full responsibility." Tears were in his own eyes as he spoke. "I don't know how my children are going to think of me when they're old enough to understand. I don't know how to put this all back together, Gwen, I don't."

He sat back down, putting his head in his hands. Seeing his misery made Gwen's heart ache. She was furious at him but at the same time, she knew it wasn't finished. He blamed himself for everything, but she had her share of the blame, and it was time to come clean, for his sake, for her sake too.

"Ethan." she touched his hand. "You may not be so sorry when you hear what I have to say."

Ethan looked at her with damp eyes. "What are you talking about, Gwen? We both know who the guilty party is, the one who's destroyed your life, and that's me."

Gwen looked down. "I destroyed your life first, Ethan, and I don't think you're ever going to be able to forgive me."

Ethan looked at her, bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Gwen swallowed hard, hardly able to believe she was about to say it. "The tabloid. Theresa was right all along. I did it, Ethan. I sold them the story about your true paternity."

Ethan felt like a huge weight had slammed into his chest. He couldn't breathe for a minute...couldn't speak. "You can't be serious." He finally whispered. "Gwen, you didn't...tell me you didn't."

Gwen looked down, the guilt written all over her face. She wished now she could snatch the words back, but she couldn't. It was out..she wanted it to be out. She was so sick of barely being able to look herself in the mirror, so sick of being on the edge all the time, waiting for her house of cards to fall. "I did, Ethan. My mother and I found the information on Theresa's computer. I thought if we exposed you she would leave you. I thought she only wanted you because you were a Crane." Gwen's hand nervously played with the fabric of her shirt.

"You..you lied to me, all this time? You set Theresa up to take the fall? I don't..." Ethan stood up, pacing the room, then turned. "How could you do this to me, Gwen?" He wanted to scream at her, he wanted to break something, but Sarah was in the other room, so he did his best to keep his voice down. Having to control himself was frustrating at a time when he wanted...no, he needed to shout.

Gwen was crying again. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I'm so sorry!"

"That's not good enough!" Ethan cried. "That doesn't even begin to cover it, Gwen! You sold me out, Gwen! You destroyed my life...you ruined everything! I thought you really loved me but you betrayed me in the worst possible way!"

"I do love you, Ethan, please don't say that I don't." Gwen shook her head tearfully.

"How can I believe that? I feel like I'm going to be sick! I have been such an idiot, for so long. I believed in you, I trusted you! Gwen, do you hate me that much?"

Gwen was sobbing again, her hand over her face. "No, I don't, Ethan...I don't now." She sniffed. "But I did. You left me for Theresa...the night before our wedding! I was devastated, humiliated in front of the whole world...and I missed you so much. I'd lay awake in bed at night wondering what I did, why I wasn't good enough. I wanted you back but I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to hurt you both." She wiped her eyes. "Well, I guess I succeeded, didn't I?" She was crying so hard now she could barely breathe.

"Stop it, Gwen...stop crying, stop trying to make me feel bad. You are the one who was vicious. I know I hurt you but what you did to me...it's unfathomable!" Ethan's voice rose, ringing throughout the suite and suddenly Sarah awoke with a little cry.

Ethan and Gwen both froze as Sarah sat up. Her unfocused eyes darted around the strange room and then she began to shake, and then to sob. Ethan ran to her, kneeling at the side of the bed while Gwen sat on the couch, helpless due to her heavy cast.

"Shhh..shhh...sweetheart, it's OK. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Ethan whispered as he smoothed her hair. Sarah cried for a moment longer, then looked at him tearfully. "Daddy..." she whispered softly as her eyes closed. A moment later her breathing was back to normal and her face peaceful as she curled up on her pillow. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as he left the room. He stood in the doorway a minute, watching Gwen as she anxiously looked from her perch on the couch to her daughter. Finally, he sighed heavily and Gwen looked at him, fear in her eyes.

"Gwen...I don't know what to say. I am so angry at you I can't even put it into words. But in the end, what's important are the children. Jane and Sarah have got to be our priorities and you...you went across an ocean and risked your life to bring us back our daughter. I think after that...well, it's going to take awhile, but I can forgive you." He sat down beside her, looking hurt, angry, and most of all, sad. Sad for all they had lost. Not even lost..they'd ruined it.

They sat in silence for several minutes and then Gwen looked at him. She'd been so angry at him while they were in Jesenik that it had almost seemed like ending their marriage would be easy, that she'd be OK, maybe even glad to see him go. But it hurt...more than anything, it hurt. She still loved him. There was no denying that. If she could change the world, she'd be with him, and he'd love her more than anything. But it wasn't to be, and she knew it. Still, she had to try, one last time.  
"Ethan." she reached out to put her hand on his arm. "I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to answer me with complete honesty. Do you love me, Ethan? At all?"

He looked at her with aching eyes. "Of course I do, Gwen. I always have."  
"OK." Gwen looked directly at him. "Ethan, do you love me enough, that, with enough time, we can try to forgive each other and work things out? Can you let Theresa go? Do you love me enough to try and save our marriage?"

Ethan paused for a moment, not because he wasn't sure of his answer. He hesitated because he knew his answer would hurt, but she had asked for honesty, and she deserved it. He deserved it too, and so did Theresa.

"No, Gwen. I don't. I'm sorry."  
Gwen nodded as she felt her heart break for the last time. It was the answer she'd expected, but deep down, she had hoped...

They sat in silence for a long time, both of them lost in their own pain. Then finally, Ethan spoke. "This is really it, isn't it? It's over."

Gwen nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes. I guess it is." She wrapped her arms around herself, but it wasn't enough to take away the chill in her heart.

"We should file for divorce as soon as we get back to Harmony. This has gone on too long. We'll make it as quick and quiet as possible. I just want it to be over with, and I think you do, too."

Gwen nodded again, unable to speak as pain coursed through her. Ethan stood up, and suddenly she reached out, grabbing his hand. He looked at her in surprise, and she spoke hurriedly before he could pull away. "Ethan, don't hate me, please. At least for the children's sake. I don't want to be like Theresa and Julian, constantly battling, hating each other. Forgive me, please, so we can raise our children in love, even if we're not together. Please, Ethan, please!"

Ethan knelt down, feeling his own heart ache. "I forgive you, Gwen. I can't ever forget, but I don't hate you and I never will. We'll be united for the kids, OK? Don't ever worry about that."

Gwen managed a trembling smile. "Thank you, Ethan."

He nodded, standing. "Gwen, I need to get out of here. I'm going.." The lie jumped to his lips, but he turned it away. No more sneaking around, no more deception. "I'm going to the hospital. I need to see Theresa."

It pierced Gwen sharply, those words. She looked down for a moment, and then slowly nodded. "If you could be back in the morning, early, before Sarah wakes up, I'd appreciate it. I would like us to have breakfast together, let her get used to us."

"Of course." Ethan leaned down and kissed her head. "Goodbye, Gwen."

She couldn't say it. Even after he turned and left the suite, she couldn't say it. But then the tears came again, and the pain was overwhelming. She'd always known this day would come; maybe if she'd let it come sooner it wouldn't feel like her very heart had been ripped from its body.

"Goodbye, Ethan."

TBC...  
Coming soon...  
Theresa wakes up to find Ethan by her bedside. Will it be the moment she's dreamed of?  
The group goes back to Harmony.


	27. Chapter 27

**The Ex Factor**

**Bulovka Hospital-Prague**

"Hmmm." A soft moan came from Fancy's hospital bed, and Luis, who'd been nodding off in his chair, immediately jerked to attention. Fancy was stirring restlessly. Afraid she'd move too much and hurt herself, Luis gently touched her face. "Hey, Fancy." He whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, then weakly turned her head to look around the room. "Are we in the hospital? What happened?"

"Don't you remember? You saved me...you pushed me away from a wall that was falling, but you got hit by it instead." Luis smiled at her. "You saved my life. I'm sorry that you got hurt doing it-you scared me to death."

Fancy frowned. "Is it bad?" she whispered.

"You've got some internal injuries, broken ribs, and something actually managed to damage that hard head of yours. But you're going to be just fine. You'll have to stay here for a while."

Fancy sighed, looking close to tears. "I hate hospitals. I don't want to stay here."

"I'm going to be right here with you, every minute, as long as you need me." Luis smoothed her hair back.

At first Fancy smiled, then it faded. "You don't have to do that, Luis. You're not obligated to me." Her voice was cool.

Luis's brow furrowed. "I want to, Fancy. I want to be here with you. I really, really do." He looked at her intensely and then leaned down, his lips getting nearer and nearer to hers.

At the last moment Fancy turned her head away. "Luis...this isn't going to work. I've been chasing you for a while, and all you do is treat me like a kid, like I'm your sister or something. I hate it. I'm not used to guys looking at me like I'm a naughty child, and if you can't see me as a woman, a woman you could have a relationship with, I'm not interested. I don't want to be your rebound girl while you recover from Sheridan breaking your heart to pieces. Second choice sucks." She turned her head away, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

Luis stared at her in astonishment. "Fancy, is that what you really think? That I'm using you-that I'm not attracted to you?" He blew out a disbelieving breath. "You're either crazy or you're blind. I thought I'd made it very clear that I'm hardly immune to you. I know I've been acting like a lovesick puppy around Sheridan, and I'm sick of it too. I'm ready to move on, but I'm not ready to make big promises that I don't know if I can keep. But I would like to be with you, Fancy. If we could just take things slow...go on a couple of dates..get to spend some time together. What do you say?"

Fancy searched his face for a moment. His eyes never wavered, never left her. "You mean it?" At his nod, she broke into a grin. "Well, it's about time. But what about that fraternizing with the cadets rule?"

Luis scratched his head. "Well, I can't break that rule. It's a very, very important rule." He grinned at her. "I think maybe it's time I handed over the cadet training to someone else, what do you think?" He couldn't help but laugh at Fancy's delighted expression. "And now can I kiss you, Fancy Crane?"

Fancy smiled as Luis loomed over her. "Oh yeah."

**Theresa's Room  
**

The morning light cast a rosy glow over Theresa's hospital room, lighting up her hair and face as she slept. Ethan smiled, watching her. He never got tired of looking at her, but now it was different. He was no longer chained to a woman he wasn't in love with. Just the thought made the memories come back. All the times Theresa had cried for him, begged him to come back to her, begged him to believe in her...his heart clenched thinking about it. He hadn't been there for her. Not only that, but he'd abandoned her in a world of hurt when she needed him. He didn't know how she'd ever managed to keep from hating him. He could barely stand himself-just the thought of all he'd put her through made him feel sick.

"Ethan?"  
He looked up, startled, to see Theresa looking at him. "What are you doing here?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"I came to see you. I brought you some flowers." He indicated the vase of bright blooms that stood on her nightstand.

Theresa looked at them and smiled. "They're beautiful. How are you doing? And Gwen and Sarah?"

"They're good." He deliberately ignored the question about himself. "Theresa, I wanted to apologize to you. You tried to tell me Sarah was alive and I nearly took your head off. You didn't deserve that. I should have taken you seriously. What you did was amazing. You reached out to Gwen, who had no right to expect anything from you, and you saved Sarah and gave her back to us. I will be forever grateful to you." He took her small hand in his and kissed it.

Theresa basked in the moment, but then snapped back to reality with a thud. "Ethan..." she pulled her hand away. "You should be with Gwen and Sarah right now."

"I'm going to be with Sarah." Ethan's voice was determined. "We've got a lot of time to make up for. But Gwen...it's over, Theresa. Gwen and I are getting a divorce."

Theresa's mouth fell open but for a minute she forgot how to form words. She stared at Ethan silently for a moment before she was able to put together a sentence.  
"A divorce? You mean, you think you're going to ask her for one?"

"No. We've already talked about it and it's decided. Our marriage is finished. We're filing as soon as we get back to Harmony."

Theresa just continued to stare for a few minutes, searching Ethan's face, looking for any sign that this was some sort of horribly mean joke, or that she had misunderstood. She even pinched herself to make sure this wasn't some incredibly vivid fantasy or drug induced dream. "Ow!"

"Theresa, I'm serious." Ethan couldn't help but laugh as he looked at her expression. "What we've been wanting these past seven years, the day we've been waiting for, it's here. I want to be with you, Theresa. I would give anything to have you at my side forever."

"Oh, Ethan." Theresa burst into tears and Ethan leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her. His lips met hers and they kissed hungrily for a few moments, Theresa's uninjured hand caressing his face. "I don't believe it. This is just too good to be true." She pulled back and looked in his face. "Tell me every single detail. I want to know it all. I want to cherish this memory forever."

Ethan sat back in his chair, the memory of his confrontation with Gwen putting a bit of a damper on the moment. "Well, I was ready to end things with Gwen, and she threw me for a loop. She asked me for a divorce first."

Theresa's mouth fell open once more. "You're kidding!"

Ethan shook his head. "Nope. She let me have it too, about not putting her first, not being there for her, not believing her about Sarah. I hurt her a lot, Theresa, and I feel like hell about it, just like I do about hurting you. She said that I didn't make her special, or loved, or worthy and she's right. That's how the person you love is supposed to make you feel, and I made her feel the opposite way."

"That's a good point." Theresa said slowly. Her euphoria was fading fast. Ethan didn't seem to notice as he continued to talk.

"There's something else, Theresa." He squeezed her hand in between both of his. "Gwen admitted to me that she's the one who revealed my true paternity to the tabloids."

"_WHAT?!" _Theresa's head spun. This was just too surreal. If Ethan had walked in and told her he was being implanted with an alien love child she would have accepted it more readily then she could comprehend the words coming out of his mouth.

Ethan nodded, looking at her shocked face. "It's true. She told me everything. Theresa, I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you. I don't know what else to say, but I promise I'm going to try and make it up to you. For everything."

Theresa looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. This was the moment she'd dreamt of for years, and finally it was here. But it didn't feel right. It hurt, more than she could have ever imagined. All the times she'd cried for him, all the times she pleaded with him, the desperate measures she'd gone through to get him back. She'd sacrified everything for him, over and over, even herself, even her dignity, even her body...and all he could was sit there and say he was sorry. Suddenly, she was furious. She pulled her hand away, feeling a glimmer of gratification at the surprised look on his face.

"Theresa, I thought you'd be happy."

She looked at him with hollow, tear filled eyes. "I did too, Ethan. But you...you didn't believe me. I told you over and over that it wasn't me. I told you that it was Gwen. She admitted it to me, Ethan. She laughed in my face about how you'd never believe me over her. And she was right, wasn't she?" She swung her legs over the side of the bed, away from Ethan, and stood up. "You never had faith in me. I know I have done some terrible things, and I've made some awful mistakes. But how can you stand there, and say you love me, when you believed capable of every terrible thing Gwen has accused me of?"

"Theresa, no...please, listen to me. I know how badly I messed this up, I do! But I have always loved you. That has never stopped, not for an hour, not for a minute, not for a second. It wasn't so much you I didn't have faith in Theresa. It was me! I lost myself a long time ago, trying to be something I'm not. First it was the Crane heir, then it was this honorable, upstanding husband, something I never was, and yet everyone believed it. I've gotten up every day to face a life I hate, knowing what a fraud I was. I got so far away from myself and everything I ever wanted. Every step I took was the wrong one, every word out of my mouth was a mistake. The only thing I've ever been sure of is that I love you and you love me, Theresa, and that's enough."

"No." Tears began to slowly trickle down Theresa's face. "It's not. Do you know how you made me feel, Ethan, over these past few years? You've made me feel desperate, dirty, ashamed, needy, unwanted, unheard..unloved. It has hurt so much, watching you turn away from me over, and over, and over. How am I just supposed to forget about that?" She walked to the window and looked out, wanting to be away from the moment, her heart breaking so hard she couldn't believe no one could hear it. "Do you remember when I tried to leave you to go to Austrailia? And you stopped the plane, and got onboard, and you made this beautiful speech to me, in front of everyone."

She smiled through her tears. "I felt so honored that you would do that for me. I felt like the most special, most loved woman in the world. That's the way I want the man I'm with to make me feel. I want someone who will slay dragons for me, and put me on their white horse, carry me away to their castle, and proclaim to the whole kingdom that I'm the one for him. Someone who holds me up, not on a pedestal, but in their arms and in their heart." She stopped and cried quietly for a moment, then looked up. "That's not you, Ethan. Not anymore."

Ethan reached for her, tears in his eyes, but Theresa pushed him away. "I can't, Ethan. I can't. I love you so, so much. I want to be with you more than anything, but I just can't. I'll always be wondering, if Gwen hadn't taken the initiative would you really have asked her for a divorce? Or if she hadn't told you about the tabloid, would you still be wondering if I was the one responsible? What would happen if Gwen decides she wants you back? How much manipulating would she have to do to get you to turn against me? Or what if I do something you don't like-how quickly will you walk away? I can't live like that, Ethan. I've tried and it hurts too much."

"Theresa, don't. Please give me another chance. I can be that for you again, I promise you! I love you so much, Theresa, and what about the children? Our daughter..and our son."

_"What?_" Theresa's head jerked up and she stared at him, shocked. "What did you just say?"

Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled letter. Theresa stared at it in openmouthed astonishment.

"I think there's something you forgot to tell me, Theresa."

_**To Be Continued...  
**_


	28. Chapter 28

The Ex Factor

**Bulovka Hospital-Prague**

The strength left Theresa's body in a whoosh as she stared at the letter in Ethan's hand. It couldn't be...it just couldn't be. She looked at him with tear filled eyes as she sat heavily on the bed.

"Where did you find that?" she whispered.

Ethan looked at her, his eyes dark with emotion. "I found it in your sweater when we went to look for you at the hotel."

"I meant to throw it away." Theresa mumbled, more to herself as the memories came back.

(Flashback-Crane Jet-Going to Prague)

Theresa looked over at Gwen, who was lightly dozing in her seat as the plane flew threw the night.

"Thank God I don't have to listen to her for a while." She thought to herself. Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep herself, but it was no use. All she could think of was might be waiting for them in Prague. What if they couldn't handle it? What if it was something more horrible then she ever could have imagined? What if...what if they didn't survive? Or..the one thing she was dreading above all happened..what if everyone was right? What if Sarah really was dead? She nearly stopped breathing at the thought. She'd invested so much in this mission. The financial cost was nothing-at least not for Alistair Crane's widow, but she had been so sure that she could put Sarah back in Gwen's arms...and Ethan's. And if she couldn't, it would be like watching them lose Sarah all over again, and she couldn't bear it.

Behind her closed eyelids, she could see Ethan's face, that night on the pier, that haunted expression in his eyes, the tears on his skin, and there was nothing she could do. She could be there, but she couldn't take the pain away, and she felt so helpless. '_And I feel so responsible_.' She murmured. _'What happened in L.A. was Gwen's fault. She attacked me, and I tried to get away. But I could have handled things differently. I could have left L.A. before she ever knew I was there. I should have, and I have to live with that knowledge. But it's more than that. Maybe I feel so guilty all the time because Ethan has another child, and I've kept him from knowing that. I've robbed him of knowing he has a son. I have to tell him. It's not right to keep this from him anymore. Maybe it will help ease some of his pain.'  
_Wiping a tear from her eye, she reached into her bag and pulled out her monogrammed stationary. 'I don't know how to make you understand, Ethan, but I have to try...' Pulling out a pen, she began to write.

_Dear Ethan,  
_

_By now you may know what Gwen and I have done. We are on our way to Prague, and I have to believe that when we come back, we will have Sarah with us. I can't wait to see the look on her face when your daughter is back on your arms. I believe it will fill a hole in your heart, a hole that I am partially responsible for creating.  
_

_But maybe we won't find her. I can't bring myself to believe that. I have to have faith that God wants Sarah to come home to you. You'd laugh, but I think it's fate that we find her. And yet...we may not. And I don't think any parent should have to be without their child. I know that pain well. I'm not writing this to make you feel bad about what you and Gwen did to me. That's a whole different conversation, one we've had many times before. I'm writing this because there is something I need to tell you., something that I should have told you months ago.  
_

_When we were in Rome, I was finally able to track down JT Cornell. I thought getting the proof that Gwen sold you out to that tabloid would resolve everything and put my life back together with one neat little click. Well, it's never that easy, is it? JT Cornell told me something I never expected, something that changed my world. He told me that EJ is not Julian's son...he's yours. I was stunned-you have to believe that I never knew, Ethan, I swear to you I didn't. At the same time it explains so much. I can't believe I didn't see it before.  
_

_My first impulse was to run to you and tell you. I wanted you to be as happy as I was, I wanted you to take me in your arms and cry with joy, and turn to Gwen and tell her it was over, for once and for all. But I knew it wouldn't happen. I didn't tell you, because I knew you still wouldn't leave Gwen. And no, it wasn't to punish you for that, but be honest with yourself, Ethan. You may be gritting your teeth right now, reading this, furious with me, but what would you have done? What would Gwen have done? You would have sued me for custody. You probably wouldn't have believed that I didn't know, and you would have taken our son from me. I couldn't take it again. Maybe I'm selfish, but there's only so much pain and loss I can handle.  
_

_When we got back to Harmony, I found out just how right I was. When you took Julian's custody case, it was the worst betrayal. It was a betrayal because once again, you were helping someone take my child from me. That's when I knew I couldn't trust you any more, that you weren't the same Ethan that I fell in love. You were an angry, cold man who wanted to punish me, and I still don't know my crime.  
_

_Still, I fought with myself. I started to tell you so many times. I never wanted to keep EJ from you. I wanted you to be with him, with us, every single day for the rest of our lives. I have tried to tell you so many times, but I have stopped myself. Not only because I was afraid that you would take EJ from me, but I made up this lie in my head that I didn't want EJ to lose his inheritance. That's not it. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to see the look on your face, that angry, disappointed, hateful look you've given me so many times. I didn't want you to hurt me, and I was terrified that it would be the straw that finally broke the camel's back and vanquished that last bit of love you have for me. And I didn't want to let it go, that light in your eyes I see when you look at me. It's all I have left of you.  
So, I'm asking  
_

(end letter)

Abruptly, Theresa stopped writing, wiping the tears off her face. 'I can't do it.' she whispered to herself. 'Maybe I'm a coward, but I can't. I just can't.' She crumpled up the paper in her hands, forgetting for a moment that Gwen was nearby.

The noise, small as it was, awakened the other woman. She opened her eyes and stared coldly at Theresa. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Theresa muttered, slipping the crumpled paper in her pocket. "Just writing out a to-do list." That was close, she thought. A little too close.

**Present Day  
**  
Theresa couldn't think over the roar in her head. For a moment she just sat, looking miserable, huddled on the bed.

Ethan watched her for a moment, then joined her. "I guess I don't have to ask you why you didn't tell me, do I? This letter says it all."

Theresa began to sob, unable to believe the nightmare she suddenly found herself caught in. "You weren't supposed to read that, Ethan! Why did you have to..." she couldn't continue.

"Theresa, I had a right to know! You should have told me the minute you found out-how could you keep this from me? EJ has a right to know who his father is!"

Theresa put her good hand over her ear, desperately trying to shut out the angry words. "No, Ethan, please don't...just don't. You don't know how hard it was...you

don't.." Sobbing, she buried her face in her lap.

The room was quiet for a moment then Theresa felt Ethan move off of the bed.

"Theresa, look at me, please."

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked up to see him kneeling in front of her, his hands on her knees. "Theresa, I do understand why you didn't tell me. I'm not happy about it, but I don't have anyone to blame but myself. I came here today to ask you to forgive me, for everything, not to cause you more pain."

Theresa looked at him cautiously. "You...understand?" she whispered, amazed.

He nodded, looking so sad it tore at her heart. "I do."

She couldn't help but cry, and he stood up and wrapped his arms around her, letting her lean on his chest and cry her eyes out. After several minutes, she finally brought herself under control and gently pulled herself away from his embrace. "I forgive you, Ethan. I forgive you for everything. But it doesn't...it doesn't change it. It won't make the memories go away. We lost faith in each other, and we deliberately caused each other pain. I don't think we can get past that. I'm sorry, Ethan. It's over. I won't leave you hanging the way you left me for so long. I've made my choice." Her heart bled at the words, but she couldn't take them back. She couldn't trust that he was strong enough to be with her anymore, strong enough to withstand the obstacles that were to come, and she couldn't bear the pain of trying once more, only to lose him again.

"Theresa, please..." A single tear trickled down Ethan's place. "Please don't say that. I'm so lost without you."

Theresa put a soft hand on his face. "You told me yourself that you've been lost a long time. Don't you owe it to yourself to try to figure out who you really are and what you want? You say you want me, but I can still hear the uncertainty in your voice and I can see it in your eyes. You're not ready, and I can't wait. Not anymore." She pulled him close to her. "I love you. I always will. Don't ever forget that. But we can't be together. I'm sorry."

Ethan nodded, finally believing her. His soul cried out that this was wrong, so wrong. They were meant to be together. It was fate, as much as he'd tried to deny it.

As his lips met hers for one final, bittersweet kiss, he vowed to himself that even if now wasn't their time, it would come. Today wasn't their day, but he wouldn't give up, not ever.

**Prague-Hotel Moravia  
**  
"Are you sure about staying?" Theresa inquired of her brother as he sat next to her. Beside him Paloma stood leaning over the bed, packing Theresa's suitcase. Having a broken hand was turning out to have some advantages, such as not having to lift a (crushed) finger for herself.

"Absolutely. I'm not leaving Fancy alone in a strange country while she's hurt. The doctor says it will be probably about two weeks before she can travel, so I'm going to stick it out." Luis's voice was firm, yet there was an underlying emotion to it. Theresa suppressed a smile. It was nice to see her brother moving on...really moving on. She couldn't lie to herself and say she wasn't a little disappointed that he couldn't end up with Sheridan, but some things apparently weren't meant to be. '_Like me and Ethan_.' She thought to herself sadly. Shaking off the depressing thought, she smiled at her siblings. "So how did Fancy take the news that she has to stay that long in the hospital?" Theresa inquired of her brother.

Luis laughed. "She was raging. Not pleased at all. But I managed to distract her, if you know what I mean." He winked and Paloma shuddered melodramatically.  
"There's no getting that image out of my head now." She muttered, but she couldn't hide her merry grin. It was about time that her stubborn brother let Sheridan go. Straightening up, she tapped him on the shoulder. "It's done.Â Make yourself useful and help me take these out to the lobby." Each picked up a suitcase and left the suite. As they did, a tall figure entered. Theresa looked up and smiled.

"You wanted to see me?"Â Kieran asked.  
"

I did." Theresa smiled brightly and indicated he should join her. He sat next to her on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he looked over her pale expression with some concern.

She shrugged. "I'm OK. I guess it will take me awhile to recover from all of this."

He was still watching her intensely. "I guess I expected you to be a little more...exuberant."

Theresa sighed. "So you know that Gwen and Ethan are getting a divorce, I take it."

Kieran nodded. "I do. Gwen's taking it pretty hard. She's hurting a lot."

Theresa looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Kieran chuckled softly. "You're not _that_ sorry, are you?"

"Well..." Theresa smiled reluctantly. "Would you think I'm a horrible person if I said she had it coming?"

"I'd think you were an honest person, and that's a rare trait these days." Kieran shrugged. "I read enough of those magazine articles and tabloids to know that you two have a very complicated history. Still, you helped her get her daughter back. Maybe it's the beginning of a new era for both of you - maybe you can put the past behind you."

Theresa strongly doubted that, but she kept it to herself. Kieran was a surprisingly pure person, an optimistic one. She thought to herself. It was amazing that he wasn't more cynical and hardened then he was. "Anyway, I asked you in here because I was a little curious to what your plans are. You did so much for me and Gwen...so I thought..." She chewed her lip, wondering how to breach the subject without hurting his manly pride.

"Let me guess. You think you owe me, and being the powerful Mrs. Alistair Crane you wanted to reward me, possibly with large bushels of cash, a cushy job, and possibly a nice rent controlled flat?" Kieran grinned at her.

Theresa laughed.Â "You don't beat around the bush, do you? Well, actually, yes. I can give you a job just about anywhere in the world, anywhere there is a Crane office. Whatever you need, it's yours for the taking...just let me know."

"Actually..."Â Kieran scratched his chin. "I think I'm going to Harmony for awhile. So a seat on the Crane jet with the rest of you is all I need."

"Really?" Theresa smiled, not particularly surprised. "Let me take a wild guess as to why."

"My place is with Sarah." Kieran said softly.

"And with Gwen." Theresa smiled at him.

"I hope so." Kieran admitted cheerfully. "But I won't rush her."

"Well, that's perfect then. We can get you a job at Crane Industries, any position you want."

Kieran shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but the idea of working in an office - eh, not my cup of tea, I'm afraid."

"Hmmm." Theresa thought for a moment. "I know! You'd be perfect as a police officer. Harmony PD is seriously understaffed, and there's a cadet training class going on right now."

Kieran was shaking his head again. "Yes, well, that sounds great..except there's the matter of me having a wee bit of a criminal record. Wouldn't pass the background check, I'm afraid."

Theresa laughed with him. "Ah, a bad boy. You're going to be fighting off the ladies, but it looks like you're already spoken for. I hope Gwen appreciates you. Well, I'm basically out of ideas. You could always join my brother Miguel on the fishing boat, I suppose."

Kieran brightened considerably. "Now _that's_ an idea."

"I was joking!" Theresa looked aghast. "It's a horrible job, hard work, low pay...I keep trying to get him to come work with me instead but he's stubborn."

"Then he and I should get along just fine. And hard work and low pay is the story of my life. So it's settled then. That's if you don't mind pullling a few strings for me."

Theresa shrugged, defeated. "God save me from stubborn men. It seems I'm surrounded by them."

"Wouldn't be talking about me, would you?" Jared came in the room, smiling, a large bandage on his head.

"Jared, you're supposed to be resting!" Theresa scolded, but she was smiling.

He leaned over to kiss her lightly. "So are you. Not chatting up handsome strangers. Am I going to have to fight for your honor?" He teased her gently.

Kieran laughed, standing up. "In a different world, perhaps, but I'm afraid someone else has stolen my heart. I'm going to head downstairs and see if anyone needs my help. I'll see you later."

As he left the room, Jared dropped another kiss on Theresa's head and moved closer to her. "Alone at last." He murmured, wrapping his arms around her. Theresa sank into his embrace, ignoring the pang in her heart.Â It was time to move on, and she couldn't let thoughts of Ethan stoop her.

**Prague International Airport-Crane Jet  
**  
Ethan walked back into the seating area, frowning. "Sorry, you guys. The pilot says we won't be cleared for take off for at least an hour." He sighed, leaning against the wall. The sight of Theresa sitting acorss the cabin from her, Jared sitting so close and holding her hand so possessively made him want to break something. He swallowed his hurt and anger and remained silent, watching her.

Theresa was dictating a e-mail as Paloma typed for her on a laptop, doing her best to not look at the brooding man whose stare she could feel boring into her.

_'Valerie,_

Please forward to me the list of candidates to oversee the reconstruction of Jesenik.Â As Crane Industries is assuming full financial responsibility for the project, it's vital that we get exactly the right person.Â Make sure that all the candidates understand that the job will mean moving to the Czech Republic for several months, possibly over a year.Â It will involve interacting and gaining the trust of the locals, and that will not be an easy task.Â Most of all, they need to understand that this position requires 100 committment.'  
  
"Slow down." Paloma muttered. "Does committment have one t, or two?"

"Three." Theresa sighed.

"Very funny." Paloma snapped, and Theresa chuckled.  
"OK, go on."Â Paloma positioned her fingers over the keyboard once more.  
Theresa continued dictating. _"I need to get this project off the ground as soon as possible.Â If you are fast and thorough, I may reconsider firing your worthless-"_

"Theresa!"

"Alright, alright. Scratch the last part."

As they talked, Kieran moved over to stand next to Ethan, who was still watching Theresa moodily.

"That's an admirable thing she's doing, have Jesenik rebuilt." He said quietly.

Ethan looked at him, wondering why Kieran had sought him out. "Yes, it is." He agreed.

"It's honest work, overseeing it.Â Those people need someone who is trustworthy, someone who would genuinely care about improving their quality of life. Someone who's not afraid to get his hands dirty. It's work that could really help a man get his head in the right place." Kieran looked at Ethan, his face expressionless.

Ethan looked hard at the other man. "Is this about getting me out of Harmony? Are you afraid of the competition?" He nodded towards Gwen, who was seated on the sofa, reading a storybook to Sarah.

Kieran smiled, but his eyes were serious. "I would fight you for her if I had to, because I don't think you deserve her. But I don't think I have to. It's over between you, and you can't hold onto her. No, this is about someone else." His eyes sought Theresa as she leaned over the laptop, giggling with Paloma. Jared had gotten up and was making drinks at the bar. "She needs someone worthy of her." His eyes challenged Ethan. "Become that man."

Ethan hesitated for a moment, looking at Kieran for signs of deception, or malice. He saw none. Of course, that meant little. He'd spent years being unable to see people for what they really were. But suddenly, he saw himself...rebuilding the schoolhouse, making plans for a new clinic, helping to reestablish local authority, someone the people of Jesenik could finally trust. He saw himself becoming a man that he could actually stand to look at in the mirror.

Theresa looked up, surprised, as Ethan came over to them and gently tugged the laptop out of Paloma's hands.

"Don't send that e-mail."

Paloma looked at him. Seeing the serious look on his face, she stood up. "Um..I'm going to go, uh..over there. Because over there is...better." She beat a hasty retreat to the far corner of the cabin.

"I want that job."

Theresa's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"I want that job, Theresa. I want to help rebuild Jesenik. Can I take advantage of our long relationship to pressure you to hire me?" Ethan smiled at her, relieved that he hadn't forgotten how.

"Ethan, you have a job. You're a lawyer, remember?" Theresa stared at him in bewilderment, wondering if he had some sort of undetected head injury.

"And I hate it." Ethan admitted, running his fingers through his hair. "I always have. I only studied law because I thought it would help me run Crane someday. Things are different now. Theresa, I'm serious. I want this job."

"But Ethan, you'd have to stay here. It would mean..." Theresa's eyes suddenly welled with tears. "Ethan, no. You have to come back with us."

"I can't."Â Ethan looked down. "I want to. I really do. I want to be with my children, but I'm...it's all fallen apart. I need to put my life back together. Theresa, please."

Slowly, Theresa nodded. "OK. It's yours. I'm going to miss you, Ethan." She wiped the tear away before anyone else saw it.  
"

Not a tenth as much as I'm going to miss you." Ethan whispered.

**TBC...In Harmony, Gwen and Theresa have a little unfinished business... **


	29. Chapter 29

The Ex Factor

**Harmony-Courthouse  
Two weeks after leaving Prague  
**  
Theresa, Jared, Pilar, Whitney, Paloma, and Miguel walked down the halls on their way to Hearing Room 1. The was a sense of celebration in the air. It was finally happening. Jane was finally coming home. Her family had insisted on coming, and she was thrilled to have them. It was too bad Luis couldn't come, but he and Fancy were still in Prague. They were scheduled to be back in Harmony the day after tomorrow.

"I am so excited for you, Theresa." Pilar squeezed her arm as they walked. "I just...I can't believe it. I thought surely Gwen would try to break the agreement."

"I think she wanted to." Theresa replied. "Have you seen the murderous looks she's been giving me? But she signed a legal document, with counsel from her lawyer, and Ethan signed it in absentia and wrote a letter to the court supporting my position. She doesn't have a leg to stand on."

Before anyone could reply, Theresa's attention was distracted by a sweet faced, middle aged brunette coming from the opposite direction. It was Leanna Mercer, the recently widowed wife of Fred Mercer, her head of security. "Mrs. Mercer!" Theresa reached out and touched her arm. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, Mrs. Crane." Leanna smiled at her. "I just needed to file some papers regarding Fred's estate."

"Oh no, Mrs. Mercer, I don't want you to have to worry about things like that. Remember I told you I'd take care of everything. It's the least I could after what Fred did for me in Prague. I can certainly spare an assistant to take care of any paperwork, or anything else."

"No, no." Leanna Mercer was still smiling but her voice was firm. "You've done so much already. We don't have any financial worries anymore, and at least this keeps me busy. Without anything to do, I have too much time to think...too much time to miss him." Her voice wavered.

Impulsively, Theresa reached out and hugged the other woman. "I'm so sorry.Â You have all my numbers and you will call me if you do need anything, please?"

Leanna nodded again, tears in her eyes. "I will. Thank you, Mrs. Crane." She gave them a parting smile and continued down the corridor.

Theresa watched her go, sadness in her heart. Seeing Leanna's grief for Fred firsthand made her feel so selfish for all the tears she'd shed for Ethan the last few weeks. At least she knew where he was, at least she could pick up the phone and call him. At least they were still in the same world. She needed to toughen up, stop mourning her relationship with Ethan, and move on for good. Starting now.

Gwen was already inside the courtroom, cursing herself for arriving early. She could have spent these last few minutes with Jane instead of sitting here, the pain of her impending loss nearly crushing her. She'd been ordered to bring the child to the court with her, as the transfer to Theresa would be immediate. Jane was in Sheridan's care for the moment, in another room where she would not be exposed to the courtroom proceedings. Gwen was furious at Theresa, had been from the minute she'd received the summons. Somewhere deep down, she'd never really believed she'd have to give up Jane. Somehow, she'd be able to fight it. The reality was gallling. Even Ethan had refused to help her. In fact, quite the opposite. He'd told her in no uncertain terms that not only did she need to honor the agreement, but he regretted ever taking custody from Theresa in the first place.

At the same time, mixed with her fury at Theresa, was the grating fact that she did feel grateful to the other woman for helping her get back Sarah. It was an unnerving mix of emotions, but that gratitude was the only thing that had stopped her from fighting like a tigress for her young.

Beside her, Kieran squeezed her hand. She didn't know what she would have done without him these past couple of weeks. He'd propped her up for the countless hours she had sobbed about losing Jane, counseled her the best he could, reminded her that she would have a day with Jane every week. It wasn't enough, but it was something.

Behind her, Rebecca tapped her high heeled shoe on the ground impatiently.

"Gwen!" She attempted to whisper, but even that was so loud that heads from rows away turned. "Gwen, you can still put a stop to this! Don't let the Taco Queen take your baby! For God sakes, pull it together and fight-get your baby back and then go get your husband back!"

"Mother, kindly shut up. All you are doing is making me feel worse." Gwen snapped back. "Don't you think this is killing me?" Kieran put a comforting hand on her back, throwing a warning look in her mother's direction.

By now the Lopez Fitzgeralds had entered, filling up a row in the courtroom directly behind Theresa. After a few, nerve wracking minutes, the judge finally entered.

"Let's see what we have here." Judge Myers shuffled some papers around on the desk. "I've spent an amusing morning reading over the previous custody hearing notes. I'm almost sorry I wasn't the one to hear the case that time-it sounds like it was quite an interesting experience." He smiled at them. "However, this time it seems as though the hearing will actually be conducted in a disappointingly civilized fashion. Both of you have come to this agreement voluntarily?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Gwen and Theresa both spoke, although Gwen's voice was quite a bit more reluctant.

"I see. And Mr. Winthrop, although he could not be here, signed all papers and sent a very enlightening letter to the court. There's really nothing more to say. Custody of the minor child is returned to Theresa Lopez Fitzgerald Crane. The visitation agreement concerning Mrs. Winthrop will be honored. However, we will need to make a new visitation agreement when Mr. Winthrop returns to the country, which I hope the three of you will be able to work out among yourselves. Court is adjourned, and best of luck to all of you."

A cheer broke out in the Lopez Fitzgerald section as everyone got to their feet. Theresa was shaking with emotion and excitement as first Jared, and then Pilar hugged her. As the judge left the room, the bailiff entered, carrying Jane, Sheridan directly behind him.

Before Theresa could claim the child, Gwen approached her, tears streaming down her face. She stroked the toddler's face for a moment. "I love you, Jane." she whispered. "I'll see you soon." She didn't want to step away but she had no choice as the bailiff turned, handing the child to Theresa. Kieran had to hold Gwen up as her legs nearly collapsed beneath her. Sheridan gently took her other arm, eyes showing deep sympathy for her sobbing friend.

"Let's just go, OK?" Sheridan said softly, looking at Kieran for support. He nodded.

"Yes, Gwen. I know it's hard, but you will see her soon, alright? Turn around, OK? Just keep walking."

Across the room, Rebecca was being forcibly removed by the bailiff after launching into an obscenity laced tirade at Theresa. Pilar spared a moment to gleefully watch the woman being dragged off, then turned back to her daughter and grandchild.

Theresa was joyfully hugging Jane to her, stroking the child's soft head and dropping kisses on it. At first Jane giggled, smiling at her mother, but then her eyes caught sight of Gwen, leaving the courtroom. Jane's face crumpled, and her tiny chin quivered. "Mama!" She held out her small arms. "Mama!"

It was like a dagger in Theresa's heart. The joy died as quickly as a flame snuffed out by a careless breeze. Tears filled her eyes as Jane continued to sob, holding her arms out for Gwen. "It's not fair." Theresa was crying now too. "She doesn't see me as her mother anymore."Â She leaned her head on Pilar's shoulder, still trying to balance the near hysterical child.

Hearing Jane's cry, Gwen had stopped, unable to help herself, and turned back around to face her.

"You're just making it worse, Gwen. We have to go." Sheridan squeezed her arm gently.

"But she's crying for me." Gwen sobbed. "I can't walk away."

"You have to, love."Â Kieran whispered. "Come on, be strong. Remember Sarah is waiting for you at home. Let's go see her, alright?" Gwen nodded tearfully and they started to walk again, but this time they were stopped by Theresa's voice.

"Gwen!"

Gwen turned around, bewildered. Did Theresa want to rub it in? Was she enjoying Gwen's pain?

Theresa had tears on her face as well as she faced the blonde woman. "I hate you, Gwen." She whispered in a fierce hiss. "Right now, I hate you and Ethan more than anything for taking my baby away from me. I hate you for taking her love, and my place as her mother. I hate that Jane is hurting right now, and I blame you for that."

Kieran looked at Theresa, shocked. "Theresa, please, you got your daughter back. There is no need to be cruel."

"I'm not finished!"Â Theresa snapped, and turned back to Gwen. "I don't want you to have a second of my daughter's life. I don't want you to take her to her first day of kindergarten. I don't want you to put a bandaid on her knee when she hurts herself. I don't want you to hear about her first crush, or her first kiss. I don't want you to cry on her first day of high school, or wait up for her when she goes to the prom. All of that is _mine_, and I don't want to share it with you."

"You've made that clear." Gwen whispered. "Are we done?" She couldn't believe even Theresa could be so vicious. She started to turn away for the third time but Theresa grabbed her arm.

"You're not understanding me, Gwen. I said I don't _want_ to share that with you. I didn't say I wouldn't."

Gwen stared at her. "What are you saying?"

Theresa took a deep breath, trying to hold back yet more tears. "I don't want to do to Jane what you did to me and EJ. Â I don't want to rip a happy child out of the home where she is content, and secure. I don't want to listen to her cry at night for you. I...I..." She couldn't believe she's about to say it. "I'm giving you back partial custody, Gwen."

Gwen's jaw dropped and she couldn't have been more shocked if little green Martians had dropped from the ceiling and started line dancing across the courtroom.  
"If this is a joke it's not funny." she whispered, eyes fixed on Theresa's face.

Theresa was no longer able to hold back the tears. "It's not a joke. But I'm not settling for eight hours a week with Jane. I want weekends, not some weekends, but all of them. I want half of the holidays, half of summer vacation, and I want to be there for every doctor visit, every teacher's conference, every ball game, every dance recital. I want legal joint custody. And I want that agreement in writing, and signed, in the next five minutes or I'm going to change my mind."

Gwen's lawyer had stood silently, transfixed during the conversation, but now he sprang to life. "I'm going to alert the court that we need a mediation room. We will have the papers filed within the next hour." Without waiting to hear Gwen's response, he hurried from the room.

Jane, still in Theresa's arms, had stopped crying now that she was in such close proximity to Gwen. Giggling, she tugged on a strand of Gwen's hair, then reached out and tugged Theresa's hair.

Gwen, finally comprehending Theresa's words, was crying tears of joy now. "Theresa..I don't believe it. I just don't..." She hesitated for a moment. "Thank you, Theresa. Thank you _so_ much. I promise you won't regret this. I will give you all the time you want with Jane."

"You'd better." Theresa was not smiling, but in her heart, she knew she'd done the right thing, as hard as it was, and as much as it hurt.

Behind her, Pilar had her hands over her mouth, hardly able to believe what her daughter had just done. "Theresa, I am so proud of you!" Her heart ached, knowing how much her daughter was hurting, and in disappointment that Jane would not be with them full time, but at the same time, she was joyous. The war between Gwen and Theresa, and all the hurt they'd caused each other and the people around them, was done. For once, there was peace in Harmony, and things were the way they should be. And Jane would be there...she would be part of their family too.

Pilar turned to Gwen and Theresa. "I think we should celebrate, all of us, as soon as we're done here. Let's get the children together and have dinner."

Gwen nodded. "Of course, Pilar.Â I'd love to." She smiled brightly.

_"What?" _ An indignant shriek came from across the room. Rebecca was back, tottering in her heels towards them. "Gwen, have you lost your mind? Take that child and run and don't give the Lopez Fitzgerald trash the time of day! I can't believe-"

"Mother, if you wreck this for me, I'll stuff you in the trunk of my car and drive you off the cliff. This is the best thing for all of us, and you're just going to have to get used to it." Gwen spoke through gritted teeth.

Pilar gave the highly offended Rebecca a smug look and took Gwen by one arm and Theresa by the other. "Shall we?"

The three of them walked out the door, carrying Jane, heads held high, leaving the astonished spectators and an infuriated Rebecca looking on.

It was the dawning of a truly new day in Harmony.

**OK, I lied...it's not over! One more chapter to go...**


	30. Chapter 30

_It's the final chapter of the Ex Factor! If anyone is actually reading this, I'd love to know if you've enjoyed my story. See notes at the end of the story for information on the soon to be uploaded sequel. _

**The Ex Factor**

**Harmony-The Lobster Shack**

It was a merry atmosphere as the group took over the small restaurant, pushing tables together and gathering high chairs. It was almost a party. Whitney and Chad were there with Miles. Sheridan was there, with Chris and James, and Miguel had called Kay, who of course had brought Fox, much to his dismay. She'd also brought Tabitha and Endora, and Theresa was currently cooing over the blonde toddler, who she secretly thought was almost as adorable as her own Jane. Almost, but not quite. Paloma sat with Simone and Jessica, the three of them whispering confidences and giggling among themselves.

Gwen was holding a quiet Sarah. The little girl was not even close to being used to being out in the world and meeting new people after her sheltered existence in Moreau Manor. Now her green eyes watched the crowd warily, and she shrunk back if anyone besides Gwen, Kieran, or Theresa attempted to speak to her. Gwen decided to seat her near EJ and the other children, since she didn't seem to have the same fear around them.

As Pilar moved extra chairs back to an empty table, she nearly bumped into someone. Turning around, she saw Sam and Ivy, looking surprised as they looked over the crowd.

"Sam! Ivy! Are you here for dinner as well?" She asked, determined to be pleasant to even Ivy on this special occasion.

"We were." Sam's eyes twinkled at her. "But the waitress warned us the whole restaurant had been taken over by some noisy revelers. We weren't expecting it to be all of you, especially..." His eyes lingered on Gwen and Theresa. "Wasn't the custody hearing today? I was expecting to be called to the courthouse to physically separate those two, and possibly arrest at least one of them for attempted murder to be honest."

"It's a long story." Pilar beamed at them. "But one you should definitely hear. We'd love it if you could join us."

"Oh, I don't know..." Ivy said. She tugged gently at Sam's arm, obviously wanting to move on.

Pilar rolled her eyes at the false sweetness in Ivy's voice. The wrinkled nose gave the aging socialite away...she felt she was too good to join the rest of them.  
'_I wonder what that man sees in her, honestly.' _Pilar thought to herself. _'She looks down on everything in his life. She will only make him unhappy.'  
_

"Oh, I'm not going to miss this." Sam grinned. "Come on, Ivy, Gwen and Theresa are getting along. I want a front row seat for this one. I cant' wait to hear how it all happened."

Ivy sighed resignedly and allowed herself to be led to the table.

"What's wrong, Ivy?" Sam whispered as they sat. "I thought you'd be able to forgive at least Theresa, now that we know that Gwen is really the one who leaked Ethan's paternity to the press. Isn't that what you've been holding against her all these years?"

Ivy frowned. "I thought it was. Funny how it turns out that I just don't like her. As for Gwen, I could rip her hair out by the roots. That conniving bitch has no right to be sitting here smiling after she ruined our lives."

"Ruined our lives?" Sam frowned at her. "Ivy, I now have a son that I never knew I had, and Ethan has a whole new family, a brother and two sisters that love him. You and I have each other. It was horrible the way that it came out, but I'm grateful it did. Do you regret it? Do you miss your old life as Mrs. Crane, with all the money and power that much?" He looked hurt.

"No, of course not." Ivy gave Sam a smile and patted his hand. He smiled back and turned to join in the conversation that was going on around them, missing the flash of insincerity in her eyes.

'_I don't miss being married to Julian.' _Ivy whispered to herself. '_The money and power, however...well, that's another story. I wasn't meant to be running an inn. Next he'll be expecting me to serve up some of that God awful tomato soup cake. I love Sam, but this pedestrian, middle class lifestyle has got to go. Sam will be grateful once I bring him up in the world. I suppose I could be nice to Theresa long enough to convince her to give Sam an executive position at Crane. He'd look great in a suit. And that's just the beginning..." _She smiled smugly to herself, wrapped in her mink lined daydream.

The food had arrived and the plates were being passed down the table. Theresa opened the jar of baby food that Gwen had handed her and began to feed Jane, who chuckled at her and promptly spat most of it on the high chair tray.

"Let me help." Jared grinned and took the spoon from Theresa. "Baby feeding is an art form I have yet to master, but this little girl is going to teach me all I need to know."

Across the table, Kieran and Gwen smiled, watching.

"How are you doing, Gwen?" Kieran whispered in her ear. "Are you OK with all of this?"

"More than OK." Gwen beamed at him. "This is the best I've felt in a long, long time."

"Gwen." Pilar caught her attention across the table. "It looks like Sarah is getting along well with EJ. It's nice to see her smile-she's truly a beautiful little girl."  
"Thank you, Pilar." Gwen smiled at the older woman, wishing Rebecca shared some of Pilar's grandmotherly attitude. "It's taking her a while, but she's getting used to everything. I think I may actually be able to start her in school in a month or two, depending on what her therapist thinks. There's a great private school that I really want to get her into, and it's very near the preschool I want to put Jane in."

"Preschool?" Theresa, listening from her seat, frowned. "She's too young for that."

Gwen shrugged. "Well, this is a very exclusive preschool, Theresa. Some parents put their children's names down at birth practically. Jane will be sharing a classroom with the children of the elite. The connections she could make even at that young age will help her for years." She smiled at the thought.

Theresa nearly gagged, listening to her. "Oh, _please_. It sounds like a breeding ground for the snobs of tomorrow. I don't want Jane going to a school like that. In fact, I really don't like the idea of preschool that much. Maybe a part time one a few afternoons a week, but I think children should be home with their family for as long as possible. They grow up too fast already."

Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Are you implying that I am a snob, Theresa? Because my only concern is that Jane gets the best education possible, and since both of us can afford it, I don't see why it's a problem. Think about it...Jane could be speaking French before she even enters kindergarten."

Theresa snorted. "French? Who cares about speaking French? Mama and I can teach her Spanish at home..at least that will be something she could actually use."

Gwen's face reddened. "For all we know, she could be going to school in France eventually, Theresa, so it could be very useful."

"Over my _dead_ body!"

The table quieted as the two women continued to bicker. Everyone looked at each other warily as Theresa and Gwen's voices rose.

"Well, that was the shortest truce I've ever seen." Kay whispered to Fox.

Whitney stared down at her plate as she listened, trying to cover her smile with her hand. Chad looked at her.

"Whitney, it's not funny." He murmured, trying to stop smiling himself.

"I know, I know..." Whitney couldn't suppress a snicker.

"Baby, don't. If you start, I'll start."

Whitney couldn't help it. She started to chuckle in earnest and Chad laughed into his napkin, his shoulders shaking. The laughter caught the attention of Pilar and she too started to giggle, trying to stop herself by staring at the floor, but it didn't help.

The mirth spread throughout the table like wildfire and before long, everyone was laughing uproariously, everyone, that is, except Theresa and Gwen, who sat there in stunned amazement, wondering what they'd missed.

"What is so funny?" Theresa demanded of Whitney, who was gasping for air and fanning her face.

"Nothing, nothing. We're just all happy that things are getting back to normal around here. You two were starting to worry us for a little while. I didn't want to say anything, but I was thinking you two had suffered some severe head injury myself." Whitney giggled at the outraged expression on Theresa's face.

"Not me." Miguel called from across the table. "It was a clear cut case of brainwashing. I mean, didn't anyone else see it?"

"Oh please!" Paloma cried. "Don't you all know a couple of clones when you see them? The real Theresa and Gwen probably killed each other back in Jesenik. That's what I think." She took a drink from her glass, eyes twinkling.

"Martian pod people. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it." Fox's voice was solemn, but his grin gave him away.

Gwen and Theresa exchanged looks and then both of them burst into laughter too.

As the laughter filled the room, Theresa's eye fell on the one empty chair at the table. The place where Ethan should be sitting, laughing with them, sharing this moment. The emptiness was in her heart too, and it was something she wondered if she'd ever be able to fill.

Only time would tell what fate had in store for him...what it held for them all.

**The (real) End  
**  
I really hope you enjoyed The Ex Factor. Please let me know your thoughts. And coming soon...the sequel, **Whisper**.

_A lot can change in a year and as summer comes to Harmony, the residents gather to celebrate the wedding between Kieran and Gwen. But someone else in Harmony wants the Irish charmer, and she's not above scheming to get him...  
And on the eve of Jared and Theresa's engagement, Ethan returns, determined to win back her heart. It's not an easy task he's set himself, but he'll try anything...with some help from an unexpected ally..._


	31. TEST ONLY

Evening Falls Extra

_This is a cut scene from chapter 18 of my story, Evening Falls, posted in this empty chapter since I didn't want to make it a separate one shot._

Buchans:

We had only just reached the section of forest outside of Buchans where the bear attacks had occurred. The area stank of human fear and death. I was forced to concede to myself that maybe Emmett's self-serving lamentations about leaving more people to the clearly vicious bear's mercy might have held a grain of truth. Still, I couldn't help but resent that he had forced me along, and Alice's glower was prominent enough to make reading her mind wholly unnecessary.

Emmett was urging us to spread out in order to more easily track the bear. As if we all didn't know that if anyone besides him claimed the kill, he'd be furious.

Beside me, Rosalie's face was set in a frown as she listened to him, her thoughts far away…

_'I can't believe Emmett dragged us all the way out here for a stupid bear,'_ she was grumbling to herself. _'We'd better find it fast. I hate leaving Elisa home alone…oh, **shut up**, Edward!'_

I hadn't actually said anything but my grin had given me away. Rose shot me a blistering glare. She zoomed off in the opposite direction before I could explain that I hadn't been making fun of her. I was just enjoying this unexpected common ground that we now shared.

Oh, alright, perhaps I was making fun of her a little.

My smile died quickly as my family zigzagged in different directions. Rosalie's thoughts had merely been an echo of my own. Although I knew I needed to feed, I had no enthusiasm for the hunt. My thoughts were home, with Bella. I simply wanted to get this over with as fast as possible so I could return to her.

"Alice…" Jasper's low voice caught my ear, once again reminding me that Rose and I were not the only reluctant hunters today. I had been so lost in my own thoughts I hadn't realized they hadn't left the clearing when the others did. He stood before Alice, his face pleading. She hadn't moved at all.

Just tuning into her mind was enough to make my own head throb with something close to a human migraine. Alice's thoughts were glum and resentful. They intermingled with lightning quick flashes that she was no longer able to control. It gnawed at her, the never ceasing, senseless parade of images in her head. More and more they were showing her places, people she didn't recognize, but never long enough for her to glean anything lasting from them.

I couldn't fault her for being unable to disguise her unhappiness. It was maddening just having to experience what she was going through for a few seconds at a time. A fresh wave of the guilt I'd been experiencing these past few weeks assaulted me. How could I leave her now, when she clearly needed me so much?

Jasper turned to glare at me over his shoulder as my emotions drifted from me to him. _Stop it. For once, this is not about you. _He turned back to her, his thoughts dismissing me completely. "You need to hunt, Alice. It might make it easier."

"Yes," I agreed, coming to stand beside her. "You've let yourself go without for too long. It will just exacerbate your – "

Alice shot me a furious look. " – condition." I finished lamely as her ebony eyes burned into me. She continued to glare at us both while we shuffled nervously, waiting for the explosion.

After several seconds her mouth quirked reluctantly. "Lost puppies wandering in the rain look less pathetic than you two. _Fine_. I'm hunting."

She hadn't even taken a step, however, when the voice sounded, freezing her immediately. It was so clear that both of us were looking around the clearing, despite the impossibility of the speaker being there. Jasper's bewildered expression clued us in immediately – he hadn't heard a thing.

"Alice!" It was Elisa's voice, there was no doubt about it, ringing out with absolute clarity in Alice's mind. It was the lack of accompanying images that made it all the more startling. This wasn't a vision. She was talking, directly to Alice, as easily as if she had picked up a phone to call her.

Alice stared in me in astonishment. "How is she _doing_ this?"

I was at a loss for words myself. We gazed at each other, speechless, until Jasper's impatient queries broke into our shared shock. I turned to him to explain. Alice was still mumbling under her breath.

"Birthday cake? She invaded my mind to ask me to bring home _cake_?" Alice stared at me, and unexpectedly her mouth quirked, expanding into another too rare, genuine smile. I couldn't help a responding snicker, one that held as much relief as it did amusement. Then we were both laughing as Jasper stared at us in confusion. Neither of us could help it, despite our shock. The juxtaposition of the mundane and the unbelievable…it was just so very - _Elisa_.

The vision came, like thousands before it, without warning.

_Crimson droplets spattered the broken remains of Esme's garden wall and soaked the ground before it. Three pairs of eyes, deceitful gold and predatory ruby, flashed at us and fell away just as quickly. Elisa screamed; kept screaming, a horrifying soundtrack to the chaos. _

_"Going somewhere?" That voice was too familiar. Sebastian. The dark moved again, slowing and sharpening into Irina's long wavy hair. An unfamiliar hand reached for a cowering Elisa. Bella's eyes stared at the sky, their ever-present light draining slowly away. Elisa sprawled in the ground, her blood-covered hands pressed against jagged flesh. _

_The vision filled with clinging purple smoke, blocking our shared sight._

What was different was the carnage this one left in its wake. With a few flickered images, Alice's foresight destroyed everything. Killed the happy, shared camaraderie the seven of us had been sharing in less than a second. Ripped away my hopes, my dreams, my future in a shower of blood and betrayal.

I didn't need to wait now for the rest of the vision that would confirm my worst fears. By the time Alice fell to her knees, screaming Bella's name, I was already running, and as I ran, for the first time in almost a century I began to pray.._._


End file.
